Brucemore is grateful to the City of Cedar Rapids, Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell, and the City Managers’ Office for their support of the Servants’ Village Envelope Restoration Project.
As part of an effort to gain state-wide support of the project, the City of Cedar Rapids declared Brucemore “an important community attraction for the recreational, educational, and cultural activities that benefit economic development and the quality of life for the residents of Cedar Rapids.” The City also recognized September as “Brucemore Month” in celebration of this historic estate and nonprofit.
This preservation project looks to address critical areas of failure and degradation to the exterior structures of three buildings: the Servants’ Duplex (1909), Lord & Burnham Greenhouse (1915), and Bookbindery (1912). These buildings are part of what is called the Servants’ Village at Brucemore, comprised of multiple buildings intended to be functional for the hired help, accessible by a separate entrance at Dows Lane, and sharing a similar architectural style and coloring. Addressing the three buildings simultaneously allows for an economy of scale and shared mobilization costs.
Brucemore is seeking support for this project through the State of Iowa Historic Preservation Tax Credit program. The organization has submitted and been awarded through this program for two prior projects, the Mansion Envelope Restoration Project and the Derecho Sitewide Recovery Projects. Its current application for support has been approved without conditions by the State Historic Preservation Office and is under review by the Iowa Economic Development Authority.