When Fort Madison Main Street was notified of the "This Place Matters! Community Challenge" by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, they leaped at the opportunity to gather the community to prove their support for the historic Cattermole building.
Recently, Fort Madison Main Street has been working with the City of Fort Madison and Fort Madison Partners to implement some planning tools that will allow for the adaptive re-use of the Cattermole building.
The former public library was included on the Community Development Block Grant application, and has been subject of discussion amongst the Main Street Board and City Council.
The general plan is to renovate the first floor to include exhibits on military history as well as multi-cultural interactive displays which highlight the diversity within Fort Madison's heritage. The second floor would be office space for non-profit organizations.
"When it's all said and done, using local, state and federal funding, we're looking at approximately half a million dollars just to bring this building back into the public realm. The first floor would be public space. Basically used as exhibits, multi cultural and diversity and exploring that rich history we have in Fort Madison." said Mary Ottoson. Ottoson is the director of the Fort Madison Main Street Program.
In mid-May, Main Street invited the community to show their support in a photo opportunity taken on the steps of the Cattermole. Nearly 60 people were present at the photo shoot, smiling and sharing stories of the building that served as a library for the community for over a century.
With nearly 300 applications across the country, Fort Madison was chosen as one of the top 100 in the nation for an opportunity to win a cash prize for the preservation and re-use of the beloved community landmark, which is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each of the chosen top 100 organizations receives a webpage on PreservationNation to tell their story and rally support from community members and there will be three prizes this year: First Prize - $25,000; Second Prize - $10,000; Third Prize - $5,000. The top three winners will be determined by the total number of votes and each individual will only be allowed to vote once. Voters must each have an e-mail address and each registered e-mail address may only vote once.
Fort Madison Main Street is asking everyone in the southeast Iowa region to vote for the Cattermole and tell your friends and family across the country!
Click here to cast your vote now!
Voting began on June 1st and will close on June 30th at 4 p.m. CST. The winner will be announced on July 1st. Remember to visit www.PreservationNation.org/communitychallenge to place your vote for the Cattermole!
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