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CEDAR RAPIDS Particularly for Save CR Heritage, a charity whose members have devoted their lives to conserving Cedar Rapids’ past, the summer has gone rather quickly.
The organization just had three months this summer to raise money for the $175,000 acquisition of a property that will give it more room to grow in the future.
Background
At the start of the summer, a nonprofit organization dedicated to historic preservation in Cedar Rapids set out to buy the Zastera Pharmacy building located in the Time Check area at 1135–1137 Ellis Blvd.
The J.E. Halvorson mansion near Mercy Hospital in Cedar Rapids serves as the nonprofit’s present storefront. In order to prevent demolition, the organization also bought this building. However, the organization, which viewed the pharmacy as a chance for growth, had space and use limitations because to its small size and multistory construction.
The J.E. Halvorson House holds a lot of rescued objects, thus it is challenging to find additional space for meetings for Save CR Heritage.
Parts of old, demolished buildings, such as window frames and doors, make up the salvage items. The products are sold by the nonprofit to those in need of them for house repairs or artistic endeavors.
Originally owned and run by Charles Zastera as a pharmacy, the Time Check property has undergone numerous name changes throughout the past century. A Czech-heritage family with modest businesses in Cedar Rapids included three brothers, including Zastera.
Since the 2008 flood that destroyed the northwest neighborhood, the building has lain inactive.
The board of Save CR Heritage determined that it would be preferable for them to invest in preserving Cedar Rapids’ heritage and their organization since they needed a storefront and actual workspace.
The concept gained momentum because to a challenge grant from the Hall-Perrine Foundation, which awarded Save CR Heritage $100,000 with the stipulation that it raise the remaining $75,000 by a deadline of August 1.
Additionally, Save CR Heritage only needed to fund $50,000 to fulfill the foundation’s grant standards because Emily Meyer, president of New Leaf Redevelopment, pledged a matching gift for the first $25,000.
As part of a Brick-by-Brick campaign, Save CR Heritage hosted a number of fundraising and tabling activities all summer long. Bricks that had been rescued were given as presents to those who contributed $100 or more.
What s happened since
The City of Cedar Rapids designated the Zastera Pharmacy a historic landmark in late July. This successfully solidified Save CR Heritage’s goal to use the land to commemorate Cedar Rapids’ past while advancing its own objectives.
Save CR Heritage concluded its capital campaign on August 1st, and on Friday, August 8th, the organization completed the acquisition of the building.
More than 100 donors helped make the campaign a success, including kind donations from board members themselves, according to Cindy Hadish, secretary of Save CR Heritage.
According to Hadish, the charity was $2,000 short of its target as of the weekend of August 2, but the process of tallying the donations continued well after the deadline. She said that last-minute internet donations placed them well beyond their target just a few days after the first capital drive ended.
In the event that those last-minute gifts had not been made, the nonprofit’s board unanimously decided to pay the remaining balance.
In light of the initial purchase price of $175,000, the public has shown incredible generosity, and we sincerely thank everyone who contributed to this hectic capital campaign, she stated.
According to Hadish, the next stages will require time. It will cost about $200,000 to replace or improve the building’s HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems as well as perform structural repairs. Continued donations, grants, and board member contributions will all help them raise that sum of money.
Although significant work could be made by the end of this year, Hadish stated that a realistic schedule for some building components to be open and functional is sometime in 2026, contingent on manpower and resource availability.
“The availability of the skilled labor we need to hire for those various tasks will determine the timeline,” she said. Even though we would really like to have at least one side of the building completed by the end of this year, that is probably not going to happen until 2026.
According to Hadish, Save CR Heritage wants to use the recently acquired property in a way that reflects the community’s support, which is crucial for these capital campaigns.
Our objective is to provide a communal place for local gatherings, art exhibits, pop-up shops, and other activities to improve the neighborhood, she added, in addition to providing a suitable storefront to sell our vintage doors, windows, flooring, and other architectural salvage.
