Iowa City airport stakeholders weigh National Register nomination for 1953 terminal while commissioning HVAC and space study

Friends of Historic Preservation members asked the Iowa City Airport Commission on Monday to pursue listing the airport’s 1953 terminal on the National Register of Historic Places and outlined how that process could affect future work on the building. Airport staff and commissioners said they favor continuing to study options and authorized staff and the airport’s engineer to scope immediate HVAC and envelope work to stop ongoing deterioration.

The preservation group, led at the meeting by Marty Goler of Friends of Historic Preservation, described the terminal as an uncommon example of mid‑century airport architecture and said the listing would open new grant and tax‑credit opportunities. “We have a treasure that is quite unusual,” Goler said, noting the building’s combined pre‑World War II and jet‑age design and its 1953 opening.

Why it matters: the terminal serves as the airport’s passenger and administrative building but is approaching a point where repairs — roofing, wiring, heating and cooling — are required. Staff said a recent space‑needs study showed limited usable space and roughly comparable costs between…