Iowa Lakeside Laboratory Historic District

Iowa Lakeside Laboratory
Historic District
Location Iowa Highway 86 about 4 miles north-northwest of its junction with U.S. Route 71
Nearest city Milford, Iowa
Coordinates 43°22′48″N 95°11′04″W / 43.38000°N 95.18444°W / 43.38000; -95.18444Coordinates: 43°22′48″N 95°11′04″W / 43.38000°N 95.18444°W / 43.38000; -95.18444
Area 89 acres (36 ha)
Built 1936-1937
Architectural style Rustic
MPS Conservation Movement in Iowa MPS
NRHP Reference # 91001830[1]
Added to NRHP December 23, 1991

The Iowa Lakeside Laboratory Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located north of Milford, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.[1] At the time of its nomination it contained 33 resources, which included 11 contributing buildings, one contributing structure, and 21 non-contributing buildings.[2] The historic district is part of a campus that provides science classes and research opportunities for university students.

History

The Iowa Lakeside Laboratory was established in 1909 by three professors from the University of Iowa: Thomas Macbride, Bohumil Shimek, and Samuel Calvin. Their plan was to provide to all students "'competent to enjoy the laboratory method of instruction'; to instruct teachers in both academies of higher learning and in high schools so that they were better prepared to educate children in schools; and to provide a laboratory where graduate students and scholars could pursue advanced research."[2] The facility is the "earliest and one of the most important research and educational institutions associated with the conservation movement."[2]

The first 5 acres (2.0 ha) on West Okoboji Lake was purchased by the University of Iowa Alumni Association who set up a private stock company, the Lakeside Laboratory Association, because the university itself was legally prevented from establishing "branch" campuses.[2] An additional 84 acres (34 ha) were acquired between 1928-1930. The property was deeded to the state of Iowa in 1936.[3] In addition to the buildings the district includes about 60 acres (24 ha) of open land to the north and northeast of the building complexes. It is a combination of meadows, marshes, and bogs that have been used in experiments and research projects over the years, and it is considered integral to the historic field laboratory setting.[2]

Iowa Lakeside Laboratory continues to function under the direction of the Iowa Board of Regents. The facility is located on a campus that has grown to 147 acres (59 ha).[4]

Architecture

Contributing buildings include five stone laboratories, a bathhouse, four stone cottages, and the main cottage. The entrance portals are the historic structure. They were built between 1936 and 1937 in the Rustic style by the Civilian Conservation Corps.[2][3] The historic buildings are distributed across the facility's three areas: the main laboratory complex, the main living/dining quarters, and the lakeshore area. The noncontributing buildings include a classroom building, a modern laboratory building, a storage building, a library, ten wood-frame cottages, the manager's residence, a garage/shop, the dining hall, a converted boathouse, Dodd Cottage, faculty housing, and a modern bathhouse. They were built from the 1960s to the 1980s.

References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2007-01-23). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rebecca Conard. "Iowa Lakeside Laboratory Historic District" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-06-02. with 17 photos from 1990 and one from the 1930s
  3. 1 2 "History". Iowa Lakeside Laboratory Regents Resource Center. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
  4. ↑ "About Iowa Lakeside Lab". Iowa Lakeside Laboratory Regents Resource Center. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
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