Main Street Cultural District
The cornerstone of the Downtown Waterloo Cultural District is the Grout Museum District. Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the District is four unique properties: the Grout Museum of History & Science, Bluedorn Science Imaginarium, Rensselaer Russell House Museum, and the Snowden House. Under development is the Sullivan's Veterans Project.
The Downtown Waterloo Cultural District includes an abundant number of cultural venues. In addition to the Grout Museum District properties, attractions include: the Waterloo Center for the Arts with 3 additions to date, one planned to break ground this fall; the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra; Waterloo Community Playhouse/Black Hawk Children’s Theatre, the Waterloo Public Library, Veterans Memorial Hall, and a proposed African American Museum.
What the Cultural District is for Downtown Waterloo
A cultural district is a walkable, well-recognized, mixed-use, easily identifiable area of a community in which a high concentration of cultural facilities serves as the anchor for economic development. Having downtown Waterloo designated as a cultural district is the visible manifestation of the spirit of community and creativity that we have been building in our central business district.
This spirit of encouraging diversity in our creative economy has not always been the case. Our history includes two libraries, two school districts, two town squares.
In October, 1998, an area was chosen in the heart of the city’s downtown district that was later named Waterloo’s Cultural Crossroads. The mission was to celebrate, promote and enhance the cultural heritage of the community in the heart of Waterloo.
Main Street Waterloo has been working since that time to lay the foundation of what we are officially designated here today as the Waterloo Cultural District. A well defined 1/3 mike area that links Washington Park to Lincoln Park to Sullivan Park, and is home to a multitude of commercial, cultural and historical sites.
This designation brings a greater focus and pride in our diversity, to generate:
- A more beautiful and animated downtown
- Increased employment opportunities
- New activities for tourists and residents
- Enhanced property values
- And a more creative and innovative environment
There is a multi-hued, multi-lingual population in downtown Waterloo that you do not see anywhere else in Iowa. Diverse groups and interests routinely plan events together. The bricks and mortar that define our place in history that have been crafted over the past seven generations are now being used for adaptive reuse projects that preserve our past as we prepare for our future. Artist’s lofts are being developed in National Register properties, along side new projects that are components of the River Renaissance Plan, utilizing Vision Iowa funds and CAT grants.