The Iowana Hotel

In downtown Creston, Iowa, on a hilltop,there is a six-story building,
by far the tallest in the city, that was once a high-end hotel. The
building has been vacant and abandoned for 25-years, is owned by a guy
in Hong Kong. Up till now he wasn't willing to sell it. I have been
trying for years to find a way to either save or demolish this
building.

However, I met a man...get your head out of the gutter...at a
conference in Des Moines last year. He was presenting to us about the
state and federal Historic Tax Credit programs. I pulled him aside to
talk to him about our building. He gave me a card. However, it was
months, until around Feb. 1, 2008 that I contacted him. I was
interested and sent an architect to tour it and go over things.
Their website is www.metroplains.com. They do historic renovations
mostly in small to mid-sized cities all over the upper Midwest.
He came down and did a tour with me and about 6 other city fathers and
mothers and we went inside. I found graffiti, 2 dead cats, dozens of
dead birds, one living thing that scurried away before we could
identify it, and tons of dung. I'd hate to go in there during the heat
of the summer instead of late March when we went. Needless to say,
the company is interested. If they can acquire it for $1 plus title
transfer costs and get the right grants, they intend to remodel this
building into a 25-unit apartment building with 1st floor office
space.

It will be an amazing project. Hope for the best, and I'll post more
as we go.