They Call It Home - Hotel or Apartments?
Afternoons are relaxing in the lobby, and Dennis Smith, William Jenkins and Don Stodgill take advantage of chairs lined against the west wall. An unidentified man scans the newspaper.
The Council Bluffs Public Library is unaware of any claim of copyright in the images in the collection. We encourage use of these materials under the fair use clause of the Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. § 101 et seq). The Council Bluffs Public Library has provided in the catalog records for these materials all known information regarding the photographer or other persons associated with the materials. This information is provided as a service to aid users in determining the appropriate use of an item, but that determination ultimately rests with the user.
The word "hotel" is taped over. Residents at the Goodrich don't care what it's called. It's home to them.
Code Violations May Close Kiel, Goodrich Hotels March 16, 1980 Hotel Owner: I'm Harassment Victim - City May Seek Closing March 17, 1980 Question: Is Goodrich Really A Hotel Or Isn't It? March 24, 1980 County Attorney Must Decide What Goodrich Is March 25, 1980 Hotel Owner Is Charged With Not Having License April 2, 1980 Judge Delays Arraignment Of Goodrich Hotel Owner April 8, 1980 They Call It Home - Hotel Or Apartments? April 21, 1980 Knox Appeals Hotel Verdict August 20, 1980 Hotel Owner Making Change City Wanted September 11, 1980 Goodrich Hotel Is Sold July 7, 1982 Goodbye, Goodrich . . . July 7, 1982 Goodrich Leased; Changes Planned August 5, 1982 Goodrich Hotel Closed; Demolition Is Planned June 7, 1984 Goodrich Signals End Of Era June 19, 1984
Council Bluffs Changing Scene--Back around 1900, this is how the Fenlon and Foley Wood and Coal Yard appeared at the corner of Seventh St. and Broadway. Standing near the door are A.G. Witzke, left, and George McCoy. The picture comes from Albert P. Witzke, 624 Fifth Ave., a son of A.G. Witzke.
Today...Council Bluffs City Hall, built in 1940, now occupies the same site. Changed very little in the last 14 years, the building was built by the Works Progress Administration at a cost of slightly over $300,000.
Council Bluffs Changing Scene--From 1860-1888 St. Francis Xavier Church was located on Pearl St. just South of Willow Ave. This later became the site of the Miriam Block, which was removed in the late 1940s.
Today...even with a face lifting of new steps, added about 10 years ago, the exterior of Holy Family is much the same as when it was built in 1908.
Council Bluffs Public Library Special Collectons
Council Bluffs Changing Scene--Another old picture from a collection of Ray Wickham, contractor, shows Holy Family Church being completed in 1908. The unit is located at Avenue B and 23rd St.
Today...the brick yard has disappeared and the ground is overgrown with small trees. A grain elevator is at left and the railroad yards in the background, also present in the 1904 picture, are almost obscured by the underbrush. [Photo used for the "before" photo is not in the files; the caption below the photo in the Nonpareil reads: "Council Bluffs Changing Scene--This is the old Wickham Brick Yard, at the end of North Eighth Street paving as it appeared in 1904. The brick yard was at one time one of the city's leading industries, turning out millions of bricks for homes and streets. The bricks were stacked in the long sheds, center, for drying.
Today...Broadway has smooth concrete surfacing along this stretch. The paving was done with modern equipment in a fraction of the time it took to surface streets in the early 1900s. This picture was taken from the Thirty-first St. corner, looking west. The stone building at right is Timothy Lutheran Church.,
Council Bluffs Changing Scene--This scraper is pulled by both a steam tractor and a pair of mules as original Broadway surfacing is torn up 50 years ago. The surface was replaced by paving bricks. Rigs such as this made slow methodical work out of street paving. Photo courtesy of E.A. Wickham, local contractor.
Today...most of the building at right, formerly World Radio Laboratories, has been burned out. The corner drugstore is being remodeled to make room for the Broadway Viaduct, which will begin at Eighth St. Far down Broadway all buildings have been removed. the street, foreground, is covered with new blacktop. Modern Street lights have been installed.
Council Bluffs Changing Scene--This is the scene in the spring of 1921 looking west along Broadway from Seventh St. The dilapidated building at left is a barber shop with a sign in front reading: "Shines...Haircuts...Ur Next." Note the early model automobiles parked along the street and the old fashioned street lamps.
Today...both streets are paved. Carson Avenue can barely be seen as it takes off downhill behind picket fence. Many homes along the east side of Grace Street still sit atop the large clay bank and have only rear access. Undergrowth on the bank holds it in place.
Council Bluffs Changing Scene--This is Grace Street at Carson Avenue in the early 1900s. The bank at rear is being dug away, evidently to make room for Carson Avenue which runs parallel to it. Grace Street, left, was a mud trail, marked with the board structure, foreground.
Today...the brick street carries auto traffic through the city. The building identified as "Neumeyer's Hotel Stables" still stands far down the block. Several frame buildings remain, but new apartments stand at left.
Council Bluffs Changing Scene--This crew is paving Vine Sts, in the vicinity of North Second St. in Council Bluffs' "horse and buggy" days. The job is done with paving bricks, many of which remain in city streets today. Photo from F.E. Moses, 2641 Avenue C.
Today...the sidewalk remains but the curbing is badly cracked. The two buildings, now occupied by Thomas Drustrup and Son, general contractors, and Iowa Tent and Awning Co., have changed fronts. One pole has disappeared. The sign left of the pole says "Warning--Underground Cable Crossing."
Council Bluffs Changing Scene--This sidewalk-laying crew pauses for a photo around the turn of the century as Council Bluffs launched an improvement program. Scene is at 917 S. Main St., and workmen are from the Wickham Paving firm. The Hermsen Grocery Co. and Chris Johnson's Dry Goods store are in background.
Today...looking down the street from the same intersection the picture is completely changed. The wide paving offers a smooth thoroughfare for motorists entering the city. The street is lined with large shade trees. At right is the J.F. Wilcox home, which is vaguely seen in the 1903 picture.