Walking Tour Of Clear Lake

City Park was laid out when the city was platted in 1856. On May Day, 1873, Clear Lake families developed City Park by planting 1,500 trees. Tags were furnished and every tree was marked with the name of the owner, as a living monument. The first band stand was installed in 1877 at the cost of $200, with $15/month allotted for a band to play in the park three evenings a week.  The current bandshell was built in 1954.  In 1936, the Seawall was built as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's Public Works Program.

Home to the Electric Theatre in1917. Peterson Rexall Drug and then Casey Rexall Drug had stores here. In1971, it burned to the ground, leaving only the front wall.  Jacobsen Clothing was the occupant before Berry/Eastman law offices.

J.B. Patterson, a watch maker, jeweler and an excellent engraver (of Clear Lake scenes on teaspoons) founded the second jewelry store on Main Avenue in 1886.  Later Patterson built a brick building at 318 Main (which is now part of Clear Lake Bank Trust).  His son Leland Patterson continued to run the store until 1950, when he sold it to Wendell Johnson and Hollis Engle. In 1967 the store moved to this location at 314 Main. It continued to be called the Patterson Jewelry store until it sold and became B's Coffee House and Catering in 1995.  In 2004, this building became home to A Heavenly Celebration, a full service bridal shop.

Corner Drug has been serving residents since 1934. It moved to its present location in 1970 from 3rdand Main. An original old fashioned soda fountain is a favorite spot for many visitors. Previously, this 1914 building had been the Cerro Gordo State Bank, which was organized in 1882. By 1910 it was one of two banks in town, but only Clear Lake Bank and Trust remained after the Depression. Note the gargoyles on the 4th Street side. They were put there to ward off evil spirits!

The present Lake Theatre building was built during the summer of 1890  by John Halvorson and S.J. Clausen. One of the two shops on the ground  floor was Halvorson's Grocery with the Opera House on the second floor. The Woodward Comedy Company and various medicine shows were frequent attractions. In 1904 the Opera House was closed for a number of years, and in 1935 it was damaged by fire. It reopened as a theater in 1936.

First Church of Christian Scientists was first organized as a Christian Science Society on September 26, 1907.  In 1924, they incorporated under the laws of Iowa.  This church was originally a Lutheran Church.

Clear Lake's first school was built in 1857 and a second in 1869. The third school house was built in 1872 on this lot occupied by the S.J. Clausen home. This two story yellow garage is part of the original building from the third school.

This architecturally interesting home was built by noted Clear Lake attorney E.B. Stillman in 1917. Stillman contacted Frank Lloyd Wright to build this home, but Wright suggested a local architect, Einar Broaten, who used the Prairie School of Architectural Design. The home has beautiful oak woodwork, a small upstairs balcony, built-in cupboards and plate rails in the dining area. In Wright fashion, it emphasizes an open floor plan, geometric shapes and earth tones. The original light fixtures have been retained.

This bed and breakfast was built in 1875 with terracing and rock pathways in the backyard leading to the lake. In 1905, farmers on the South shore blew up the lake dam which lowered the lake level. An early owner was attorney Ira Jones, who was one of the owners of Clear Lake Boat & Amusement Corporation in 1910.The corporation built Bayside Amusement Park, the White Pier Dance Club and had an excursion boat line.

The Rogers/Knutson Home is a Queen Anne house constructed during the Victorian period. Built by F.M. Rogers in 1895, it was Purchased by Clarence Knutson in 1921. (Both families were in banking). High ceilings and an abundance of beautiful woods are prevalent throughout. Three leaded, stained glass windows highlight the open stairway. Interior and exterior architecture has remained virtually unchanged.

This Victorian style home was built in the late 1800's by A.W. Tennant. The two and one-half story home has a corner tower and three leaded glass windows, visible on the front of the house. Inside, there are two open stairways with an open railed balcony on the second floor, oak woodwork and floors, as well as a built-in icebox. It has been a commercial location for 15 years and is currently home to the Rose Cottage Tea Room.  The Rose Cottage moved to Clear Lake in the summer of 2001 from Greene, Iowa.