Tour highlights new life for two historic buildings

(Sentinel photo by Beverly Van Buskirk) A church building, last occupied by the Le Mars Assembly of God congregation, has been remodeled by new owner Eric Wong into his residence. The home is one of five stops on the Tour of Historic Homes and Churches in Le Mars Saturday. [Click to enlarge]

Two buildings, a former church and a former high school, have been converted to new uses while still maintaining their historical significance in the community.

A church building at 401 First St. S.W. is now a residence for Eric Wong, who purchased it from the Assembly of God Church.

(Sentinel photo by Beverly Van Buskirk) Symmetrical windows throughout the building are one of the many unique features of the Plymouth County Historical Museum, which moved to the old Le Mars Central School in 1983. A gradual renovation process by countless volunteers has enabled the museum to utilize the entire structure, one step at a time. [Click to enlarge]

The former Le Mars Central High School at 335 First Ave. S.W., has been home to the Plymouth County Historical Museum since 1983.

From church to home

The oldest part of Wong's home dates back to 1884. The exterior shows what the structure was build to be -- a house of worship. The steeple was removed years ago, but the remainder of the building is nearly identical to how it looked in 1912, when the larger building was built surrounding the old church within.

(Sentinel photo by Beverly Van Buskirk) Doors in the 1905 section of the Plymouth County Historical Museum, formerly Le Mars Central School, are placed symmetrically on either side of a center front gable with overhead fanlights. The two doors in this section allowed for a separate entrance for boys and girls. [Click to enlarge]

The foundation of the building is made of Miracle Block, which was manufactured in Le Mars by Moore Lumber Co. The ramp formerly at the church was donated to the Seney United Methodist Church. In its place, Wong designed an oriental garden. He is designing a large garden in the fenced-in side yard, a place where many church ice cream socials were held.

A cornerstone on the north wing of the structure, laid Oct. 22, 1911, marks when the new church was built around the old church.

Inside, the vestibule/bell tower is completely lined in pressed tin -- ceiling to floor -- as is the sanctuary. The steeple was removed in 1979, and the whereabouts of the bell is unknown.

(Sentinel photo by Beverly Van Buskirk) Volunteers have been busy with renovation work on the fourth floor study hall of the Plymouth County Historical Museum. The study hall is part of the 1905 section of the building which once was Le Mars Central School. This room served as the Assembly Room, study hall and later the junior high library/study hall. [Click to enlarge]

Swinging doors lead into the living area. the floor is still slanted as when the pews occupied the space. Wong used extensions on furniture to accommodate the height difference, removed the orange carpet and has refinished the original flooring.

Stained glass within the room aided in selecting colors for decorating.

The organ remains from the last congregation, as have original brass chandeliers.

Using many of the features from the church, Wong, along with restoration help from Lee and Diane Kramer, has designed a comfortable living space from this house of worship.

According to information researched for the tour, while many differently named entities have worshipped in the structure, only two congregations have called it home.

A deed from Sioux City & Iowa Falls Town Lot and Land Co. indicates the property was sold on Dec. 28, 1883, to Saint Johns Church of the City of Le Mars.

By 1890, it was known as the German Evangelical Saint John's Church of Le Mars. (In 1934 a national merger occurred with the Reformed Church and another national merger occurred in 1957 with the Congregational Christian Church.) The name of this congregation officially changed to St. John's Evangelical & Reformed Church of the United Church of Christ in 1965.

A local merger of this congregation with the local Presbyterian Church in 1968 prompted both congregations to build a new church (Presbyterian United Church of Christ) in a different location. This structure was sold to the Assembly of God Church in 1968.

In 2007, the Assembly of God congregation moved to the former skating rink on the Old Central School lot, and their building was purchased by Wong.

From school to racquetball to museum

The school building housing the Plymouth County Historical Museum was built in four phases, starting in 1905 when the four-story center section was constructed.

It was built in a square with a skylight in the middle.

The accentuated doors were placed symmetrically on either side of a center front gable with overhead fanlights. The windows are double hung sash with nine panes on the upper sash and a single large pane on the lower sash. Windows are symmetrical throughout the building.

Woodwork throughout the building shows painstaking attention to detail and includes rare curved woodwork around the entire upper portion of the study hall/auditorium, detailed carving on oak staircase balusters; oak woodwork around doors and transoms, and high quality tongue-in-groove hardwood floors.

Three additions were made to the original building, one in 1924, on in 1925, and the newest addition to the north in 1952.

the 1924/25 additions were similar in style to the 1905 building, with the 1924 addition having a basement while the 1925 addition (south section) does not.

The fourth addition (north end) built in 1952, is totally different from the other sections and is a classic example of the 1950s "Industrial" style. Here the fire-proof, re-enforced concrete steel and brick structure was enhanced with features including non-glare directional glass block with a "vision strip" underneath, terrazzo floors in the corridors and stairways, linoleum in the classrooms, asphalt tile in the basement, fluorescent lighting, acoustical plaster ceilings, green sight-saving chalkboards, corkboard bulletin boards, ceramic tile wainscoting in the corridors and stairways, and blonde woodwork.

This section was also designated as a Civil Defense Shelter, a "necessity" precipitated by World War II and the subsequent Cold War.

Food and other supplies were found in the basement of the addition when the museum moved in and some are preserved in the museum's collections.

The Le Mars Central School as it was known, was closed at the end of the 1980 academic year. By then, only the 1952 section was in use for grade school students.

The school district stripped the building of all furnishings, including the slate blackboards and sold them at auction.

Unfortunately, the heating system wasn't drained, so much damage occurred during the freezing and subsequent thawing of pipes.

In 1981, Roger Sitzmann converted the auditorium and gymnasium in the 1925 section into a racquetball club and exercise area. The windows were bricked in and high walls were constructed in the former gym.

The remainder of the building was owned by Red Wiltgen, who used it for storage and business purposes.

The Plymouth County Historical Museum moved into the 1924 section in 1983. Through the years, the museum has been able to purchase the other units of the building.

Study hall renovation

One of the larger areas of the museum building still to be renovated is the study hall on the fourth floor of the 1905 section.

This area served as the Le Mars High School during its early years, when all grades were housed in the 1905 section.

The Assembly Room as it was known, measures 45x68' with two 13-square foot ceiling lights.

The study hall could accommodate more than 250 desks. Removal of the library tables turned it into an auditorium which would seat more than 600. Classrooms around the Assembly Room included the biological laboratory to the northeast, and physical laboratory to the southeast.

The business training room was at the center on the east side of the Assembly Room. Other rooms were used for mathematics, English, Latin and German.

One of the museum's more recent improvements is an elevator which provides access to all five floors of the museum.

Saturday tour

The 2009 tour of Historic Homes and Churches in Le Mars will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 9. The tour is sponsored by the Le Mars Historic Preservation Commission and the Plymouth County Historical Museum in recognition of May as National Preservation Month.

The theme for 2009's National Preservation Month is "This Place Matters!" and highlights an awareness of the power of historic preservation in homes, neighborhoods and communities.

Tours begin at the Plymouth County Historical Museum. The last tour will leave the museum at 4 p.m.

Other sites on the tour include St. George's Episcopal Church at 400 First Ave. S.E.; the home of Cheryl Bolser at 709 Fifth St. S.E.; Berdene's at 11 Sixth Ave. S.W.

Tickets for the tour are $10 and may be purchased in advance or the day of the tour at the museum.