Historic buildings or neighborhoods that are found to have historic significance and integrity are eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Register is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect our historical and archeological resources. Properties listed in the National Register include districts, buildings, structures, sites, and objects that are significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture. The National Register is administered by the National Park Service. More information may be found here.
Buildings listed as “contributing” within a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places enjoy the same benefits as a building listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places. The benefits of listing on the National Register of Historic Places range from community pride to economic development to financial assistance for individual property owners. More information on the federal and state financial assistance programs may be found online through the National Park Service and State Historic Preservation Office. While projects using these funds must be reviewed by the state to meet national rehabilitation guidelines, projects using private funds do not go through any additional review process and property owners are not restricted with what they might do with their property listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Three large historic districts in Muscatine have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. With the completion of the Architectural and Historical Survey and Evaluation of Downtown Muscatine in 2005, the Muscatine Historic Preservation Commission immediately acted on the recommendation to nominate the Downtown Commercial Historic District to the National Register of Historic Places, as well as the Historical and Architectural Resources of Muscatine, Iowa multiple property document with the six historic contexts. These nominations were approved for listing on May 26, 2006. Following the Architectural and Historical Survey and Evaluation of the West Hill neighborhood in 2006, the Muscatine Historic Preservation Commission again moved forward quickly to nominate the West Hill Historic District to the National Register of Historic Places, as well as amending the Historical and Architectural Resources of Muscatine, Iowa multiple property document with two additional historic contexts. These nominations were approved for listing on April 30, 2008. Finally, the survey of the Fair Oaks neighborhood was followed in 2019 by the Muscatine Historic Preservation Commission moving forward with the nomination of the Fair Oaks Historic District. This nomination was approved for listing on February 24, 2020. Rebecca Lawin McCarley of SPARK Consulting completed these nomination projects on behalf of the commission.
Information on each building within a historic district can be found within the National Register of Historic Places nomination, as well as overall significant historic information on the area. Click below to download these nominations completed by the efforts of the Muscatine Historic Preservation Commission (.pdf format, for private use only):
- Historical and Architectural Resources of Muscatine, Iowa (Part 1) & (Part 2)– National Register Multiple Property Document – revised in 2008
- Downtown Commercial Historic District – National Register nomination – listed in 2006
- West Hill Historic District – National Register nomination – listed in 2008
- Fair Oaks Historic District – National Register nomination – listed in 2020
In addition to these historic districts, 16 individual properties in Muscatine were listed on the National Register of Historic Places of Historic Places from 1974 to 2024. Links to these nominations are found below. More information on these properties may be obtained from the National Register of Historic Places program or State Historic Preservation Office:
- S.M. McKibben House – 102 Walnut St. – 1974
- Old Jail (Muscatine County) – 411 E. 4th St. – 1974
- Sinnett Octagon House – 2610 Park Ave (Hwy 38 at Hwy 61 bypass) – 1974
- Trinity Episcopal Church – 411 E. 2nd St. – 1974 (also in downtown district)
- Alexander Clark House – 203-205 W. 3rd St. – 1976 (also in West Hill district)
- First Presbyterian Church – 401 Iowa Ave. – 1977
- J.C.B. Warde House – 205 Cherry St. – 1979 (also in West Hill district)
- Welch Apartments – 224 Iowa Ave. – 1979 (also in downtown district)
- Muscatine County Courthouse – 401 E. 3rd St. – 1981 – under County Courthouses MPD
- W. Joseph Fuller House – 1001 Mulberry Ave. – 1982
- Clark-Blackwell House – 206 Cherry St. – 1983 (also in West Hill district)
- Pliny and Adelia Fay House – 112 Locust St. – 1998 (also in West Hill district)
- Greenwood Cemetery Chapel – 1814 Lucas St – 2001
- Laura Musser McColm Historic District – 1314 Mulberry Ave – 2017
- Muscatine County Home Dairy Barn – 3210 Harmony Ln – 2019
- McKee Button Company – 1000 Hershey Ave – 2020