by Marianne Gasaway
Clear Lake’s iconic Sea Wall, which was approved for placement on the National Register of Historic Places this year, will be the subject of a session at the 2023 Preserve Iowa Summit, the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs’ premier statewide conference for historic preservation.
City Administrator Scott Flory announced last week that he and others involved in the process of applying for national historic recognition will take part in a panel discussion at the June 1-3 event in Sioux City, Iowa. Flory said Clear Lake’s Sea Wall project will be showcased and its history discussed.
The process to have the Sea Wall listed on the National Register of Historic Places began in October of 2021 with the Clear Lake Historical Society working alongside Michelle Cunliffe and Scotney Fenton, from RDG Planning & Design, throughout the procedure.
City Council minutes from 1933 – 1935 were searched to establish the timeline of discussions between the City of Clear Lake, Clear Lake Park Board, the Iowa State Conservation Commission (DNR today), Iowa Highway Commission (IDOT today) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Photographs and maps were located to document that the Sea Wall was constructed by workers from the Mason City Transient Farm, a division of the Works Progress Administration and that local granite fieldstone was used to build the wall, along with local lumber and fill dirt. Clear Lake’s Sea Wall sits on the footprint of the former White Pier, which was destroyed by a tornado in 1931.
Work began in April on the restoration of the Sea Wall. TNT Tuckpointing & Building Restoration, of Stockton, Iowa secured the job with a bid of $186,930. The project was completed in May.
In January 2023 the City and Historical Society received notice from the National Historic Land marks Program of the National Park Service that the Sea Wall had been approved for placement on the National Register of Historic Places.
Built on the theme “Sioux City Making Tracks,” the 2023 Preserve Iowa Summit is designed for historic property-owners, historic preservation-commission members, Main Street staff and board members, developers and planners, government officials, community leaders, architects, and students with three days of workshops, presentations, and an awards ceremony.
The three-day program starts Thursday, June 1, with inspiration — an awards ceremony to honor the Preservation Projects of Merit, Excellence in Historic Preservation and Archaeology awards, and Preservation Iowa’s “Preservation At Its Best’’ — and includes tours of the Sioux City Railroad Museum, the Fourth Street Historic District, and the Woodbury County Courthouse, a National Landmark. It wraps up Saturday, June 3, with a round of how-to sessions specially designed for Iowans who work or volunteer at local historical societies and history museums across the state. The newly-renovated Warrior Hotel will host the summit meetings, reception, and overnight stay for attendees.
