WHPC Celebrates 25 Years
Waverly Historic Preservation Commission: 1996-2021
25 Years of Preservation, Promotion & Pride
Members
May 6, 1996: Waverly Council passed Ordinance 685 creating the Waverly Historic Preservation Commission.
June 17, 1996: Council appointed Payne, Christensen, Huston, Meyer and Hess.
July 1, 1996: Council passed Ordinance 693, increasing membership by adding two additional appointments.
July 1, 1996: Council appointed Schulz and Vogel.
Waverly Historic Preservation Commissioners:
(1996 to Present)
| Deborah Ackerson | Karen Lehmann |
| Sandra Rada Aleff | Geneva Liebau |
| Dita Boorom | Terry Lindell |
| Kris Brunkhorst | Erika Lindgren |
| *Inez Christensen | Ron Matthias |
| Glenn Fenneman | Don Meyer |
| Kent Hawley | *John Meyer (now deceased) |
| *Barbara Hess | Mary Meyer |
| Tom Hicks | Peter Newell |
| Justin Jeffcoat Schedtler | Kris Ohle |
| Terrence Lindell | *Kathryn Payne |
| Linda Hovden | Darius Robinson |
| *Don Huston | *Anna Shultz |
| Jim Hundley | Gary Schultz |
| Don Huston | Art Simpson |
| Carole Lackey | *Sally Vogel |
| Terri Lambertsen | Les Zelle (now deceased) |
*Original members from 1996
City Liaisons:
Tab Ray
Sarah Meyer Reyerson
Bill Werger
Isaac Pezley
City Council Liaisons:
| Brian Birgen | Lynn Michl |
| Cyndy Ecker | Kathy Olson |
| Wes Gade | Connie Rasmussen |
| Elizabeth Hartman | Patsy Reed |
| Mel Kramer | Fred Ribich |
| Dan Lampe | Darrel Steege |
Timeline
1996
- May 6, 1996: the Waverly City Council passed Ordinance 685 to create the Waverly Historic Preservation Commission (WHPC).
- June 17, 1996: First five commissioners appointed: I. Christensen, B. Hess, D. Huston, J. Meyer, K. Payne.
- July 1, 1996: Ordinance 963 increased commissioner appointments to seven, adding A. Shultz and S. Vogel.
- December 4, 1996: The Iowa State Historic Preservation Office certified Waverly to participate in the Certified Local Government (CLG) Program under Section 101(c) of the National Historic Preservation Act.
1997
- Awarded a grant for a Planning for Preservation Project to determine if local properties are suitable for National Register of Historic Places nomination.
2002
- Sponsored an Iowa Communications Network (ICN) Historical Preservation Orientation broadcast session on November 14 for preservationists and the public.
2003
- Started the Historic Preservation Award Program (renamed the Waverly Historic Preservation Award), to be given to residential and commercial property owners who demonstrate an effort to preserve the original architectural integrity in recent exterior improvements.
- Awarded the first Historic Preservation Awards to Brian & Mariah Birgen and Jim & Candy Hundley.
- Accepted for placement on the National Register of Historic Places: The Bremer County Courthouse.
2004
- Hosted an historic preservation training seminar on November 14 that was open to the public.
- Awarded Historic Preservation Awards to Milt Westendorf and Gary & Michelle Schultz.
2005
- Introduced a Halloween tour at Harlington Cemetery, led by Commissioner Terrence Lindell, to raise awareness of the campaign to renovate the crypt.
- Awarded Historic Preservation Awards to Mark & Karen Lehmann, David & Judy Ostrander, Don & Pearl Spore.
2007
- Started the Waverly Historic Registry (renamed the Waverly Historic Register), to recognize properties or sites in the community that are historically or architecturally significant.
- Awarded an Historic Preservation Award to Barth & Margery Steere.
- Partnered with a Wartburg College Public History course to research three sites of local historical significance that “no longer exist” (Waverly Opera House, Fortner Hotel & St. Andrew’s Church).
- Added Wartburg College’s “Old Main,” the Bremer County Historical Society Museum, and the Bremer County Courthouse as the first properties on the Waverly Historic Register.
2008
- Started an Historic Locations Markers Program to commemorate locations of existing or no-longer-existing sites of historical, economic, or cultural significance to the community.
- Awarded Historic Preservation Awards to the Wartburg College President’s Home “Greenwood,” Inez Christensen, and Bo Studio 121 (owners Bo Ellison & Cindy Hendrickson).
- Assisted the City with historic restoration of the crypt at Harlington Cemetery in the spring of 2008.
- Received $800 from the Waverly Community Foundation for Significant Historic Locations Markers.
2009
- Added St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Waverly Rail Trail Bridge, the Kuethe Home, and the Ira Sturdevant Home to the Waverly Historic Register.
- Assisted in locating information for Marlys Svendsen, hired by FEMA to document damage with a “windshield survey” of Waverly’s historic properties after the Flood of 2008.
- Worked with Iowa Homeland Security consultants to develop and approve a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with FEMA to compensate for loss of historic resources in the Flood of 2008.
2010
- Contracted with Tallgrass Historians L.C. (Jan Olive Full) to survey downtown Waverly as a potential commercial historic district.
- Contracted with Svendsen Tyler Inc. (Marlys Svendsen) for surveys of the northwest and southeast residential neighborhoods as potential historic districts.
- Completed the largest architectural salvage project ever attempted in Iowa by rescuing reusable materials from flood-damaged Waverly homes in collaboration with Preservation Iowa, with labor from AmeriCorps volunteers.
- Held multiple public sales in Waverly of salvage materials and raised $18,000 for Preservation Iowa.
- Installed a Bremer Avenue Bridge “Dairy Spot of Iowa” bronze plaque in Kohlmann Park.
- Held a public meeting, with Tallgrass, about the downtown survey on October 23: “The Three Rs of Surveying Historical Commercial Districts: Reconnoitering, Researching and Recording.”
2011
- Awarded Historic Preservation Awards to Tim & Lani Gehlsen Schoepf and Mark & Beverly Anderson.
2012
- Hosted by Commissioner Don Meyer during July Heritage Days: walking tours of downtown Waverly.
- Awarded Historic Preservation Awards to Brian & Joleen Sullivan and Robert & Malissa Cousin.
2013
- Awarded Historic Preservation Awards to Kathryn Koob and DyAnn Longseth & Ron Rose.
- Accepted for placement on the National Register of Historic Places: The Waverly Municipal Hydroelectric Powerhouse.
- Accepted to the National Register of Historic Places Program: The Old Fourth Ward SE Historic District.
2014
- Amended Chapter 49, Waverly’s Historic Preservation Ordinance, redefining term limits and meetings: Nov. 3.
- Accepted to the National Register of Historic Places Program: the Harmon & LeValley NW Historic District and the East Bremer Avenue Commercial (“Downtown”) Historic District.
- Hosted a celebration in the Lutheran Mutual (CUNA) Building for the rollout of the Old Fourth Ward SE Historic District, which included self-guided walking tours using tour brochures created by Commissioner Mary Meyer.
- Presented by Commissioner Karen Lehmann at the annual Preserve Iowa Summit: “Waverly’s Success Story—Surveys Made Possible by Flood Mitigation Funds.”
- Presented by Commissioners: numerous community programs to explain the new historic districts.
2015
- Provided input to the Waverly City Council on repair of the historic 3rd Street SE (“Green”) Bridge.
- Held a public meeting, with Svendsen Tyler, about the Sturdevant SW Historic District surveys.
- Provided input to Lutheran Services in Iowa on moving and saving the historic Lutheran Children’s Home archway entrance to Bremwood Residential Treatment Center Campus.
- Added the Farmers Exchange Building to the Waverly Historic Register.
- Hosted a celebration of the Harmon & LeValley NW Historic District at Strotman Building Center, which included self-guided walking tours using tour brochures created by Commissioner Mary Meyer.
- Researched, designed, and installed two types of signage to acknowledge and mark the SE and NW Historic Districts: brown Historic District recognition signs and blue National Historic District street sign toppers.
- Installed a bronze descriptive plaque at the Waverly Municipal Hydroelectric Powerhouse.
2016
- Accepted to the National Register of Historic Places Program: Third Street SE (“Green”) Bridge.
- Assisted the Waverly Chamber Board with tours of newly-renovated upper-story downtown apartments.
- Hosted a celebration during Heritage Days to celebrate the East Bremer Avenue Historic Commercial (“Downtown”) District, in collaboration with the Waverly Chamber of Commerce and East Bremer Diner, which included self-guided walking tours to view informational posters created by Commissioner Mary Meyer.
- Presented by Commissioner Don Meyer: “Waverly Architectural Styles,” Iowa Downtown Conference, Mason City.
- Awarded an Historic Preservation Award to Glenn & Gail Fenneman.
- Accepted to the National Register of Historic Places Program: The Sturdevant SW Historic District.
2017
- Added First Baptist Church to the Waverly Historic Register.
- Held a celebration at First Baptist Church for the Sturdevant SW Historic District during Heritage Days, which included self-guided walking tours using tour brochures created by Commissioner Mary Meyer.
- Awarded an Historic Preservation Award to Scott & Sherri Niles.
2018
- Received national recognition as one of 3 award winners at the National Alliance for Preservation Commissions’ 2018 FORUM, a conference held in Des Moines on July 20. The Excellence Award from NAPC highlights outstanding achievements by local preservation commissions: WHPC was chosen based on how post-flood efforts
resulted in four national historic districts and two historic structures. - Reproduced a bird’s-eye view map of 1868 Waverly in poster-size; available to the public for a donation.
- Accepted for placement on the National Historic Register: The 3rd Street SE (“Green”) Bridge.
- Awarded an Historic Preservation Award to Trent & Jennifer Hoins.
2019
- Displayed and accepted donations for historic 1868 Waverly poster maps at multiple community venues.
- Presented by Commissioner Don Meyer at the Preserve Iowa Summit: “ABC’s of a Section 106 Review.”
- Published in the NACP journal, The Alliance Review, Summer 2019, an article written by Commissioner Karen Lehmann: “Seizing the Positive: How Waverly, Iowa, turned Disaster into Opportunity.”
- Hosted a public celebration of historic preservation achievements in Waverly at the Waverly Public Library.
- Presented at this celebration the first public forum intended for education on historic preservation topics: Architect Andrew Bell explained “Historic Tax Credits.”
- Hired consultant Rebecca McCarley to complete a drive-by survey of the northeast quadrant of Waverly to assess suitability for creation of a NE historic district nomination.
2020
- Provided recommendations to the Waverly City Council regarding the preservation and memorialization of the historic 3rd Street SE (“Green”) Bridge.
- Added Waverly High School, currently Crosspoint Church, to the Waverly Historic Register.
- Created media promotions for “This Place Matters” & “Hit the Streets” during May Preservation Month.
- Awarded an Historic Preservation Award to Scott & Linda Kollenkark.
- Worked with a Wartburg marketing team to create an integrated marketing plan, including a WHPC logo.
2021
- Added the Rock Island Depot (currently 4 Queens Dairy Cream) to the Waverly Historic Register.
- Created a sign to be installed near 4 Queens to describe historic development at that corner.
- Worked with the Community Foundation of NE Iowa to develop a fund-raising campaign (website, flyer, and media information) to honor the 3rd Street SE (“Green”) Bridge with signs, plaques, and public art.
- Hosted a celebratory open house, program, and tours at the Farmers Exchange Building, May 22.
Click here for a printable timeline.