Then & Now: Cedar Rapids, Downtown and Beyond

Three themes are always evident in major American cities following World War II: the rise of the highway, the decline of inner city neighborhoods, and the attempt to slow the decline with urban renewal.  Most urban renewal attempts were not successful, and many seemed to do more harm than good to the life of a neighborhood.  Entire blocks were leveled to make way for speculative developments that never panned out, leaving the urban fabric with a patchwork quilt of parking lots.  Neighborhoods were wiped out or cut in half by elevated highways that sent land values into a freefall and encouraged remaining residents to flee to the serenity of the suburbs.


With that said, there is a great book on Amazon titled Then & Now: Cedar Rapids, Downtown and Beyond.  It is just shy of 100 pages and runs for about $15.  The book includes a wide variety of "then & now" photographs that depict the evolution of Cedar Rapids over the years.  Most of the early images have been taken before 1960, while the latter day images are recent (the book was published in 2005, so I imagine they are from that time period).  Image resolution is high, and each page includes a brief description about the subject.  The book covers downtown, warehouse districts, and some early ring suburban neighborhoods.


Probably the most striking change is seen in the area between Quaker and First Avenue, from the river over toward the US Cellular Center.  The area where the Five Seasons Tree (locally known as the 'toilet brush') now stands was once packed with three and four story brick edifices that led up to the looming Quaker Oats factory at the end of the road.  Nearby were a number of houses and small multi-family units that were leveled first for the rail yard, and then again when the elevated span of I-380 was constructed in the late 70's.  A number of ornate structures such as the Union Block were met by the wrecking ball to build the present day Cedar River Tower and Wells Fargo Bank.  Below is a 1952 Life magazine photograph showing the Union Block of the far left between the Hotel Roosevelt and the darker brick structure in the foreground.

It's difficult to imagine this area between First and Quaker having once been a vibrant, working-class neighborhood as virtually nothing original is left.  Elsewhere, one can see the thinning that has occurred to the south, with a number of buildings having been replaced by parking garages.  Based on images from Then & Now along with others gathered around the internet, I have created two models that show the urban transformation of Cedar Rapids from 1935 to 2010.

Cedar Rapids, 1935.  Red = major route.

Cedar Rapids, 2010.  Red = major route.  Rose = parking garage.

Across the street from the Cedar River Tower, Riverfront Park was washed out by the flood and will fortunately be receiving a makeover soon, thanks to the efforts of local business leaders.  However, two challenges will continue to face the park: it is bounded by two heavily traveled routes that are very pedestrian-unfriendly, and there is no destination nearby to serve as a draw.  Active pedestrian traffic is critical for urban green space to succeed.  The last time I was at the park, it was a gorgeous spring afternoon and I was the lone soul there.

To make the park truly successful, a better connection to the rest of the riverfront is needed.  If I read correctly, one of the proposals for the riverfront flood wall was to have a series of tiered levels that would allow people to walk closer to the river's edge.  I could see one of those tiers traveling under the First Avenue Bridge to connect the larger network of pathways that has been proposed along the east side of the river toward the new courthouse.  With the First Street Parkade coming down soon, it would be the perfect location for a mixed-use residential structure that could help restore some life to this area that is largely dead after 5 PM.

Cedar Rapids, 2020 (imagined).  Mixed-use residential replacement with riverfront pedestrian link.