Chautauqua Park Historic District Sac City, Iowa
National Register of Historic Places Data
The Chautauqua Park Historic District has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places with the following information, which has been imported from the National Register database and/or the Nomination Form . Please note that not all available data may be shown here, minor errors and/or formatting may have occurred during transcription, and some information may have become outdated since listing.
- National Register ID
- 13001138
- Date Listed
- February 5, 2014
- Name
- Chautauqua Park Historic District
- Other Names
- Sac City Park; Tourist's Park; Sac City Campground; Riverside Campground
- Part of
- N/A (Multiple Property Submission)
- Address
- 106 Park Ave.
- City/Town
- Sac City
- County
- Sac
- State
- Iowa
- Category
- district
- Level of Sig.
- local
- Areas of Sig.
- ARCHITECTURE; ENTERTAINMENT/RECREATION; SOCIAL HISTORY
Description
Text courtesy of the National Register of Historic Places, a program of the National Parks Service. Minor transcription errors or changes in formatting may have occurred; please see the Nomination Form PDF for official text. Some information may have become outdated since the property was nominated for the Register.
Chautauqua Park Historic District is locally significant under Criterion A and Criterion C. From its founding in 1908 until 1963, the area was a vital entertainment, recreational, social and cultural hub for Sac County and a large area of Northwest Iowa. As a promoter of the Chautauqua movement, the park embodied Teddy Roosevelt's description of the movement as -The most American thing in America.- (Traveling Culture) It is one of the few extant areas founded for the purpose of and dedicated to the widespread Chautauqua movement that shaped several generations of Americans. (The only other extant pavilions in Iowa are found in Red Oak and Riverton.) Friends and neighbors gathered to camp, share stories, hear lectures, and experience music from across the land. The Metcalf Log Cabin is a reminder of pioneer days and early residents' struggles to conquer and settle Iowa in the mid-19th Century. Architecturally, Chautauqua Park is home to an auditorium designed by Proudfoot and Bird, a firm noted for significant contribution to Iowa and regional architecture. The Stone Shelter House is a classic example of WPA projects. The entire park is well maintained, yet remains true to historic roots. A visit to Chautauqua Park Historic District is a visible reminder of an era when beauty and function combined to heighten social awareness and promote cultural events.
