Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Lt. Governor Judge Announces $9 Million Vision Iowa Grant For Mason City
Funding to Restore the World's Last Remaining Hotel Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and Improve Recreation
(Des Moines) Today, Lt. Governor Patty Judge announced a $9 million Vision Iowa grant for Mason City. The grant marks the first Vision Iowa-funded project in more than a year and the 13th award since the inception of the program. The award is contingent upon the completion of fundraising in 180 days.
The cornerstone of Mason City’s $34 million project list is the renovation and rehabilitation of the Park Inn Hotel, the only remaining hotel in the world designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Plans call for the hotel to re-open on September 10, 2010, the building’s 100th birthday.
“What a great day for Mason City and the state of Iowa,” said Lt. Governor Judge. “With this award, we will preserve one of America’s architectural treasures. Frank Lloyd Wright built a total of six hotels throughout his career, but only the Park Inn Hotel continues to stand today. It is clear that the people of Mason City understand the importance of this building, not only to their community, but to our state and our nation. They have worked tirelessly over the years to save this building from the wrecking ball. And today, their efforts pay off. I am proud to say we will restore this building and return it to its original glory.”
Also included in the city’s plans are renovation and rehabilitation of the City National Bank (also designed by Wright), renovation and addition to the Mason City Public Library, construction of the East Park Performing Arts Pavilion, construction of recreation trails and greenway in the Willow Creek Development, construction of the Historic Architecture Interpretive Center adjacent to the Wright-designed Stockman House Museum, streetscape development on Federal Plaza, and construction of a parking structure to service the Park Inn Hotel and downtown area.
“Mason City has done a tremendous job building broad support for these projects,” said Vision Iowa Board Chairman Andy Anderson. “These next six months are critical as they tackle the challenge of completing their fundraising. The Board commends the citizens for their enthusiastic efforts in working toward the vision of what their community can become.”
The Vision Iowa Program is available to assist in funding of major tourism attractions ($20 million minimum project cost). To date, 13 Vision Iowa projects have been awarded a total of $227,550,000. The next Vision Iowa Board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 9, in Waterloo. For more information, visit www.visioniowa.org.