Downey School

Downey School is a historic building located in the unincorporated community of Downey, Iowa, United States. Built in four months in 1905, it was designed by Waterloo, Iowa architect J.G. Ralston and built by Frank Chapman, also of Waterloo. The two-story brick structure features quoins on the corners and Roman arches as its main decorative elements. The building had a cupola, but that was taken down at some point. It is believed that the building originally housed 1st through 12th grades.^[2] After 20 years the high school grades were moved to West Branch, Iowa. The school itself closed in 1955. The Wapsie Valley Grange Society acquired the building and they used it for their meetings into the 1970s.

Downey School
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	212 Broadway St. Downey, Iowa
Coordinates	41°36′54″N 91°20′56.4″W
Built	1905
Built by	Frank Chapman
Architect	J.G. Ralston
NRHP reference No.	100004017[1]
Added to NRHP	May 28, 2019

Tim and Madonna Rex bought the building from the Iowa Grange Society in 2017 and since then have been in the process of converting it into a bed and breakfast inn. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.^[1]

References

1. "National Register of Historic Places Program: Weekly List" (PDF). National Park Service. May 31, 2019. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
2. Joanne Salemink (November 4, 2020). "Couple turning Downey school into B&B". West Branch Times. West Branch, Iowa. Retrieved 2021-02-01.