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Prairie Architects, Inc. |
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Owner: Dallas County Historic Preservation Commission Project Scope: Restoration Adaptive Reuse Site Development and Construction Additions |
Grand Army of the Republic Lodge Redfield, Iowa |
Grand Army of the Republic Lodge Redfield, Iowa The American Civil War represented a new type of military organization. In previous conflicts, soldiers were recruited into units from towns and counties, usually friends and relatives, who would go off to war together and return to harvest and plant together. Their needs after war were attended to by the community, as a homogenous unit. The Civil War, however, pulled men from all over the country. It was common for a unit to be made of men from different states. The scale of the war meant more casualties, and consequently more widows and orphans. The advances in medicine meant that many who would earlier have died of their wounds were returning home as cripples, needing extended care. Freed slaves and their families needed jobs and places to live, as did the returning soldiers. In many cases the communities simply could not handle these new responsibilities. The problems were compounded by loneliness caused by the dispersal of fighting men to their home states. Suddenly soldiers had no one to talk to or rely on that shared their memories directly. In response, men began forming together for companionship and later for political power. The Grand Army of the Republic was one of these groups, and quickly became the most numerous and influential. Founded in Decatur Illinois in 1866, membership was limited to honorably discharged veterans of the Union Army, Navy Marines Corps or Renue Cutter Service who served between 1861 and 1865 . The organization was subdivided into community level locations called "posts" and were consecutively numbered. In addition to providing health and human services to veterans, they lobbied the government for pension legislation and relief work. The Grand Army of the Republic Lodge in Redfield Iowa was one of these Posts. Built sometime between the mid 1860's and the early 1880's, for decades members met here every two weeks to discuss community events and honor those killed in the war. In 1900 a fire leveled an entire block of downtown Redfield, sparing only the GAR Lodge. Thus it is the only remaining building left from the original town located on the original site The Lodge was recently donated to the Dallas County Historic Preservation Commission with the stipulation that it be restored to its original appearance. Over the years, the building has been extremely neglected. The original viewing stand at the front of the building had been removed, a low quality addition was placed on the north side, and the siding was badly replaced in the 1950's. Since then, the building has stood empty and suffered vandalism. We have implemented a three-phase rehabilitation schedule. The first provided new foundations. The second incorporated the bulk of the restoration work, including supplemental framing, new interiors, windows, siding, and roof. The third phase rebuilds the original front viewing stand, replaces the exterior staircase leading to the second floor, and adds a rear deck with an outhouse-inspired restroom facility. |
Phase 1 |
Phase 2 |
Phase 3 |
Prairie Architects, Inc. -- 103 South Third Street -- Fairfield, Iowa 52556 |
Phase 3 |