wandrlust – discover the undiscovered

A once boom town marred by the rise and fall of the cattle industry, admittedly, I expected Sioux City to devoid of much to do. With the two best hotels in town competing with rates hovering around 79 dollars and a lack of information in regards to places to eat, I imagined a lifeless city. The drive into town immediately proved otherwise — lined with bars, Historic 4^th Street, which is main drag leading into downtown, was akin to that of a main street in a college town.

More surprising though was finding two buildings that were some of most profound examples of their respective architectural styles, especially in the case of the the Woodbury Courthouse, that I have seen.

I first spotted the The Badgerow outside the window of my room at the Clarion (your best bet for a room, right in the heart of downtown, but nothing special by any means. See the luxurious hot tub). As far as I know this is the only example of what I will dub “Indian Art Deco”.

The Badgerow, built in 1929, must be in reference to the row of near spire-like Chiefs (although I am not completely clear on what a Chief is other than something an asshole waiter might call you along with boss or champ) which accent the top of the building. The entrance of the building is more ornate with colored, terra cotta “art deco” detailing (seen above). The building itself, as I saw on the news while I was there, was acquired by a Southern California investment company who plan to use the abandoned and boarded structure as a mix-use property as part of the plan to revitalize downtown.

Significantly more impressive and not far from being one of the most impressive buildings I have had the chance of seeing in person (although I am not sure the pictures do it justice) is the Woodbury County Courthouse. Built in 1918 under the helm of architect William L. Steele, the courthouse is one of the most pristine and grand examples of Prairie style architecture. The building reminds me of the work of Louis Sullivan (this reinforced by the fact that proteges of Sullivan helped in the design of this building) or the early work of Frank Lloyd Wright while also having a Gothic, almost Bauhaus-like quality to it. The amount of ornamental detail is astounding and Look at the street lamps!

The Woodbury County Courthouse is in immaculate condition but was not viewable from the inside as it was being renovated at the time. Supposedly the interior is even more impressive.

You can view the rest of the Gallery here: The Badgerow and Woodbury County Courthouse

The Woodbury County Courthouse is located at: 620 Douglas Street Sioux City, IA 51101. It is also plotted on the map above.

I cannot locate an exact address for the Badgerow but it is located around 4th St. & Jones.