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Photos by Ryan Moffatt |
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Spencer Photo Page Spencer, Iowa is the county seat of Clay County in far northern Iowa and home to 11,327 people, with 17,372 in the micropolitan area. Located 187 miles north of Des Moines and 97 miles northeast of Sioux City on the Little Sioux River, Spencer is the commercial hub for a large area in northwest Iowa, and is the gateway and principal city of the Iowa Great Lakes Region. Incorporated in 1880, the city grew from 300 settlers to over 11,000 in its current day population. The city has a large retail base, an attractive set of parks, and a thriving downtown, based no doubt in part to its location to the wealthy and high traffic Iowa Great Lakes region. Spencer is best known as the home of the large Clay County Fair, which is a large summer festival that comes in 2nd in numbers of visitors only to the Iowa State Fair. The community's proximity to recreation and a thriving arts culture (ranked as one of the 100 best "small arts towns" in the US) make Spencer an attractive, and well-kept small city. This gallery contains photos of downtown Spencer along and near to the Grand Avenue Corridor (Highway 71), which is the main highway through downtown. Visit www.spencer-ia.com for more information on this community, including a large gallery of historical photos and postcards. Click the thumbnail on the left to see a larger image. Use your browser's Back button to return to this page. |
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Art Deco Businesses- In 1931, a
devastating fire wiped out much of the west side of downtown Spencer facing
Grand Avenue. When the downtown blocks were rebuilt, it was during the
period of high style for art deco architecture. Many buildings in
downtown Spencer were rebuilt with ornate art deco touches that are still
visible today. |
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Art Deco Buildings-
Another view of the beautiful art deco buildings on the east side of Grand
Avenue. June 2005 |
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Spencer Theater- The original site of a downtown theater at left, with one of the finer examples of Art Deco on the east side of Grand. June 2005 |
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Antiques Shop- An antiques shop and
several other small businesses sit on the west side of the downtown portion
of Grand Avenue |
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Carey's Electronics- A small
cluster of businesses still occupy the rather commercially healthy downtown
Spencer. This block on the east side of Grand has seen a new infill
addition on the corner. June 2005 |
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Clay County National Bank- Another grouping of commercial buildings
in the heart of downtown Spencer. The ornate, but deteriorating Clay
County National Bank is the most prominent of the structures. This was
one block that was partially hit by the fire of 1931. June 2005 |
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Sidewalk View- A photo of the view down the sidewalks of Grand
Avenue. A new streetscape project was added in 2004, adding new period
light fixtures, sidewalk paving, street furniture, planters, and more. June 2005 |
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Modern Downtown Office-
One of the newest building additions in downtown Spencer is this modern
looking office building, which houses a variety of professional offices. June 2005 |
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Farmer's National Bank-
Another prominent old bank building on Grand, the Farmer's National Bank is
an attractive limestone structure with traditional Greek columns. This
building stood standing from the great fire of 1931, as it was originally
constructed in 1900. June 2005 |
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5th and Grand Avenue- The view looking northwest at the intersection
of Grand and 5th Street. Grand Avenue is also the busy Highway 71 ,
the well-traveled main route to the Iowa Great Lakes. June 2005 |
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Down Grand Avenue-
A view of most of the west
side of downtown on Grand Avenue. There is a mix of modern facades and
classic commercial-era brick facades. Most downtown storefronts are
occupied though, in what appears to be a rather healthy downtown. June 2005 |
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The Hotel Spencer-
Simply known as "The Hotel Spencer," this 5 story building was completed in
1920. It still functions as apartments, a hotel, and popular downtown
restaurant/lounge. June 2005 |
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The Hotel Spencer-
Another view of the Grand Avenue side of the Hotel Spencer. June 2005 |
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Plaster Shop-
Even more art deco is found throughout downtown Spencer, with touches of
deco even being incorporated on the newer facade of an older building at
right. June 2005 |
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Downtown Businesses- A testament to the health of downtown, with every storefront in shot filled with businesses. Being the business hub of a portion of Northwest Iowa, and the Iowa Great Lakes is paying dividends for Spencer. June 2005 |
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Downtown Businesses-
A nightclub, pizza restaurant, and medical supply store co-exist in this
photo. June 2005 |
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Northwest Federal Savings Bank- The 1960's modernist headquarters of the Northwest Federal Bank is one block west of Grand Avenue, and provides more of a modern touch to an otherwise historic downtown. June 2005 |
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Spencer Post Office-
The main post office in Spencer is located in the classic looking building
one block west of Grand. It was built in 1932. June 2005 |
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Clay County Courthouse-
The Clay County Courthouse was built in
1900 and remains the most architecturally prominent structure in the city.
The courthouse sits across from several beautiful churches on a town square
a few blocks west of the main portion of downtown. A courthouse
restoration project began in 2005. June 2005 |
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Spencer Hospital-
A photo of the newest addition to the Spencer Hospital. A prominent
local donor gave money to make this 2004 addition a reality. June 2005 |
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Grand Avenue Mansion-
One of the most beautiful and stately homes in Spencer sits right off of
Grand Avenue in a traditional residential district just north of downtown.
The neighborhood surrounding this home is filled with landscaped medians,
over story trees, and historical homes. This home is currently seeing
renovation work. This home dates back to 1884. June 2005 |