Downtown Transformation

I moved to Cedar Rapids two weeks before what later became known as the Great Flood of '08. People I work with will talk about pre-flood restaurants and businesses that never returned; things I have no recollection of. Two years later, the remnants of the flood are still visible in every neighborhood that it touched. I have vague memories of Cedar Rapids before it became a smorgasbord of vacant facades, boarded windows, and derelict homes.

Fortunately, the future is bright!  There are three linchpin projects either planned or under construction that are helping to push forward a revitalization of the entire downtown district.  Below is a summary of each.

1.  US Cellular Center Renovation / New Events Center

Cedar Rapids has pondered the expansion of its events center since 1995.  The current US Cellular Center (try saying that three times fast) was built in 1976 and has been dwarfed by new convention centers in Omaha, Des Moines, and the Quad Cities.  This $50 million project hopes to make Iowa's second largest city a more attractive convention space, encourage new businesses to the area, and potentially lead to the development of a new hotel nearby.



2.  New Central Library

The former library on First Street SE quickly fell victim to the flood in 2008.  The city has decided to abandon the building since it sits well within the 500 year flood plain.  In order to secure FEMA dollars for a new library, the city council recently voted to build at a new site on higher ground.  The careful study of three sites ensued.  Ultimately, a site across from Greene Square Park was chosen that is currently the home of the insurance business True North.  The True North building is a former bowling alley that was renovated into offices in the early 2000's, and was the site of Washington High School many years ago.


I am a big fan of the site for a number of reasons.  It will be directly across from the park with a north orientation, providing plenty of desirable indirect daylighting.  Its location is close to the proposed intermodal transit facility, and also near existing vacant blocks and surface parking.  Hopefully a project of this magnitude will attract mixed-use development similar to the effect of the new Central Library on the Western Gateway neighborhood in Des Moines.


One somewhat controversial aspect of one of the other preferred sites was the proposal to demolish the historic People's Unitarian Church for a 200-space surface parking lot across the street from the new library.  In a city that is already saturated with parking garages and surface parking, this seemed like a major step backward, especially considering there were two large parking garages within a block of walking distance.  Fortunately, the council voted in favor of what looks to be the best site of the three.


3.  New US Courthouse

The new 8-story, two block wide US Courthouse will be the most significant addition to the downtown skyline in over a decade.  This is a massive project for a city of Cedar Rapids' size, and will help to encourage new development to the area south of the downtown core.  At the moment, this area between 6th Ave. and 8th Ave. is dotted with warehouses, a few small businesses, and a sea of surface parking.  Completion of the courthouse is expected for May, 2012.


While these three are the spotlight projects that will help transform downtown Cedar Rapids in the wake of a devastating flood, there are many other small projects that have been completed or are in the works. Among these are the restoration of the historic Paramount Theatre, the restoration of Theatre Cedar Rapids, and the proposal for a new economic development center.  It is an exciting time to witness this transformation; these three key projects are laying the foundation for downtown Cedar Rapids to move to the next level.