The Revitalization of a River City
This past weekend, I took a day trip south down to Dubuque, Iowa. Even just a month ago, I have never heard of this city and certainly never thought I would spend 10 hours round-trip to go on a Saturday and go see it. Prior to visiting, I spent some time googling and seeing what was there that I could fill an afternoon with. There’s a university, a mill district, an aquarium and the Mississippi River, among other attractions. Other than that, I didn’t think too much about it. I just was excited to go through the Kickapoo Valley with the beautiful topography (if you haven’t been, I highly recommend taking a day trip through it - it’s a hidden gem!) and then getting lunch at a brewery in the Dubuque Mill District.
I also looked a little bit at the history of Dubuque. The City became the center of the lumber industry in the Midwest because of all the forests in Minnesota and Wisconsin, along with being on the Mississippi River. Industry there boomed, also becoming a center for millworking in the 1800s. Dubuque maintained it’s status as an industry center until the 1980s when it was hit hard by the farm crisis and industry halted, causing the City’s economy to plummet. (Click the link for information on the farm crisis, it does a much better job explaining what happened than I could!)
So when I got to Dubuque, I wasn’t expecting much. However, I was pleasantly surprised! It has a really cute and impressive downtown! As I learned though plaques on the sidewalk, Dubuque has leveraged over $600 million dollars into turning the former industry center into a tourist destination.
Being an industrial city, Dubuque had challenges regarding dirty sites. Heavy industrial uses were scattered along the Mississippi riverfront, causing the property to be undervalued and plagued with brownfields. In 2002 - 2003, the City received EPA grants to clean up the riverfront. The cleanup EPA grants helped to make development along the riverside possible with project such as: a conference and education center, the River’s Edge Plaza, a new Riverwalk, an aquarium and museum, and more.
And that was just along the river! The old Mill Street area also has been completely transformed. The Millwork District Street Redevelopment project modified the roadway network that was needed to have a bustling area. The project redesigned the pavement, added sidewalks, adjusted the utilities for fiber optic cables, and more. Essentially, they designed a pedestrian friendly ‘main street’ area ready for development. The following redevelopment in the area kept the old Mill buildings character, with the old brick buildings, open staircases, and large windows. There is now a brewery (which was very busy!), an event center, countless retail shops, restaurants, offices, art studios and apartments built into the old Mill buildings. It was super cool!
So, if you ever get the chance to spend a day or two in Dubuque I highly recommend it. I had no idea that it was such a hidden gem in the Midwest. Here are some additional links if you want to learn more:
Dubuque, Iowa’s North Port Revitalization Highlighted by EPA as a Transformative Brownfields Cleanup
Redevelopment Goals in Dubuque, Iowa, Come Alive by Strengthening Central Neighborhoods
-Jess
Dubuque County Courthouse
Millwork District
Telepoem Booth - an interactive art installation in the Millwork District
Dubuque Town Clock Plaza