50th Anniversary Celebration of Decorah’s Broadway-Phelps Park National Historic District

Come celebrate the establishment of the Broadway-Phelps Park Historic District 50 years ago with a number of events on Sunday, October 25 from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m., sponsored by the Decorah Historic Preservation Commission. The approximately fifteen block district, established in 1976, is one of the first National Historic Districts in Iowa and includes thirty-six private residences, four civic buildings, two museums, six churches, a nineteenth-century kiln, and a park.

Events begin at 1:00 p.m. at First Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall with a Welcome and Brief Overview of the Broadway-Phelps Park Historic District. Pick up a Schedule of Events, sign up for “Spirits of Broadway” Walking Tours to “meet” five former residents of the Broadway-Phelps Park Historic District, select brochures for optional independent driving or walking tours of the district, and enjoy light refreshments.

Other activities include tours of Grace Episcopal Church and First Lutheran Church sanctuaries and “Porch Socials” throughout the Broadway-Phelps Park Historic District. Watch for yard signs indicating events happening within the district. All events are free and open to the public.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – First Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall, 604 W. Broadway (Mill St. entrance)

• Welcome and Brief Overview of the Broadway-Phelps Park Historic District by Mark Muggli at 1:00 p.m.
• Sign up for “Spirits of Broadway” Walking Tours 
• Refreshments

1:45 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 2:15 p.m. – “Spirits of Broadway” Walking Tours – Meet historical residents of the Broadway-Phelps Park Historic District and hear their stories. Guides will lead each of the three tours, which will depart from the First Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall and move to each of the three locations. (Locations marked with gold balloons.) Guests may use umbrellas for light rain; inclement weather location is First Lutheran Church sanctuary. 

• Location #1: Kissie and Mae Landers (1862; sisters), side yard, Winneshiek County Historical Society Heritage Center, Landers-Adams-Bodensteiner House, 302 S. Mill Street
• Location #2: Rinnie Norton (1877; stepdaughter of Ellsworth Porter), front porch, Porter House, 401 W. Broadway
• Location #3: Adell and S. W. Field (1880; mother and grandfather of Bert Porter) front porch, Field House, 404 W. Broadway 

Church Tours

2:30 p.m. – Tour of First Lutheran Church, 604 W. Broadway, hosted by Pastor Mike Wilker 

3:15 p.m. – Tour of Grace Episcopal Church, 506 W. Broadway, hosted by David Wright

Porch Socials 

1:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Look for the “Porch Social” signs throughout the Broadway-Phelps Park Historic District. Stop by to connect with homeowners and to learn about their house histories. 

Independent Driving or Walking Tours

Enjoy driving or walking the Broadway-Phelps Park Historic District at your leisure with the help of five different brochures, available in the First Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall, the Decorah Chamber of Commerce office, and at each Porch Social location.

• Reprint of the 1982 second edition of A Guide to the Broadway-Phelps Park Historic District, Decorah, Iowa on the National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.  
• Historic Church Walking Tour, Decorah, Iowa 
• Architectural Styles in the National Register in Decorah, Iowa
• A Tour of the Decorah Architecture of Charles Altfillisch
• Self-guiding Tour of Decorah for Motorists and Cyclists (2007 revised edition)