Cedar Falls — Population: 36,145
First settled in March 1845, the site for Cedar Falls, Iowa, was selected because
of the water power afforded by the Cedar River. As early as 1859, Main Street was
the commercial center for farmers who brought grain and stock into town from more
than 100 miles away. While the days of the grain elevators and the millrace are
long past, downtown Cedar Falls continues to serve as the city's thriving central
business district.
The rebirth of downtown Cedar Falls has been a product of hard work, dedication
and enthusiasm by local residents and Community Main Street, Inc., founded in 1987.
Today, with banking and finance, the Cedar Falls Public Library, post office, City
Hall, Cedar Falls Community Theatre and many other services and activities present,
downtown links the citizenry to the area's history, cultural amenities and businesses.
It is easy to see why the 36,000 residents of Cedar Falls call the 20-block downtown
area the "Heart of the City." Visit Cedar Falls!
Community Main Street, Inc.
P.O. Box 367
206 Main Street, Suite B
Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613
phone: 319.277.0213
communitymainst@cfu.net
www.communitymainstreet.org
Town History
The Cedar River drops about six feet during its half-mile course from Franklin Street
to the U.S. Highway 58 bridge. This geological feature determined Cedar Falls location,
its name, and its early principal industry of milling. Cedar Falls also was known
as a railroad city in the late 19th century, when four lines connected in the city.
Andrew Mullarky came to the new settlement in 1850 and established the Black Hawk
Store to provide necessities for settlers. The upstairs of this small building was
used for storage of county records; thus, it became the first courthouse in Black
Hawk County.
Landmarks and Unique Local Features
Downtown Buildings on the National Register of Historic Places:
- Oster Regent Theatre - Frank Cotton built the theatre in 1909-10
to accommodate theatre troupes, vaudeville acts and audiences of 1,000. Later, the
theatre became a motion picture house and was recently restored to its original
use and now serves as home to the Cedar Falls Community Theatre.
- Ice House Museum - Constructed in 1921 by Hugh Smith for his Cedar
Falls Ice & Fuel Company, this building originally stored ice cut from the nearby
Cedar River and later was used as a livestock sales pavilion, ice skating rink and
boat club before becoming the Ice House Museum in recent years.
- Serpentine Road - A bending road that travels through the Main
Street district and is complemented by wide sidewalks, sculptures, pedestrian centers
and landscaping.
Annual Events
- June - Sidewalk Sale - Bargains galore and children's games
are enjoyed by all during this one-day sale in June.
- August - Panthers on Main - Recognizes and celebrates new University of Northern Iowa students. Live music on the streets, scavenger hunts and more.
- September - ARTapalooza on Main - Many artists from across the region will showcase their talents and sell their artwork on Main Street as strolling musicians, street performers and hands-on art activities for children and adults are available throughout the day.
- October - Panthers on Main - Recognizes and celebrates University
of Northern Iowa athletics the week of homecoming with a pep rally, games and food
booths.
- October - Halloween on Main - Halloween activities for kids and
in-store specials make trick-or-treating in downtown Cedar Falls fun for all ages.
- November/December - Holiday on Main - Christmas activities for
the whole family are provided throughout December.
Low Interest Loan/Grant Programs & Commercial Property
For information about available downtown commercial property and low interest loan
and facade improvement grant programs for downtown Cedar Falls business and property
owners, contact Community Main Street at 319.277.0213.
Local Links
Cedar Falls Community Main
Street's local Web site