Project of the Week: How the Roundhouse is taking shape

For decades, the Roundhouse was a beloved landmark in the Czech Village neighborhood. The Flood of 2008 destroyed it beyond repair.

This fall, the City will open a new Roundhouse that carries on its predecessor's tradition.

After years of planning, work got underway last year on the Roundhouse, Festival Street (B Street SW), pedestrian promenade, Roundhouse Art Walk, and a parking lot with more than 100 spaces for visitors.

A key piece of the project is the new Roundhouse itself. Designed to honor the memory of the original, the Roundhouse is envisioned as a flexible community gathering space that complements the area and serves residents year-round.

The Roundhouse, along with the surrounding elements, will be finished later this year. Cedar Rapids Parks & Recreation will manage the facility and provide opportunities for a variety of uses, including private event rentals, City-sponsored events, recreation programming, community partnerships, educational opportunities, and other activities that bring people together.

"The Roundhouse represents an exciting opportunity to create a space where our community can gather, celebrate, learn, and connect," says Parks and Recreation Director Carrie Mardorf. "We envision it as a flexible community asset that can support a wide range of activities and partnerships. Our role is to be thoughtful stewards of the facility while creating opportunities for residents and community organizations to help bring the space to life."

Honoring the original

The original Roundhouse opened in 1963. It was used for community events and farmers markets until it became submerged in floodwaters in 2008. The Roundhouse was then dismantled with the hope that the original components could be reassembled. Unfortunately, further examination showed that they were too badly degraded.

Community Development & Planning Director Jennifer Pratt says that while working on the 2019 Czech Village/NewBohemia Area Action Plan, City staff talked with a number of neighborhood residents and business owners about what they most wanted to see. Through a series of public design workshops and input sessions, it quickly became clear how much the Roundhouse was missed - not so much the building itself, but the community gathering space that it represented.

In response, designers conceived of a new Roundhouse that would echo that same importance to the community.

"After the Flood of 2008, we promised residents that we would do more than just build flood protection; we would build back those spaces that allow us to gather and experience Cedar Rapids as a community," she says. "Projects like this are part of keeping that promise. We see the Roundhouse as a place where residents, organizations, businesses, and community partners can connect, collaborate, and create meaningful experiences."

In addition to serving as a year-round gathering place, these improvements will be a catalyst for development. These new features will draw in developers and add jobs, businesses, and other opportunities for the community.

These improvements are funded by City dollars and a $3 million Destination Iowa Grant through the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA).

The finishing touches

Workers are now putting the finishing touches on the interior of the building. Meanwhile, exterior features, including paving of the Festival Street and pedestrian promenade, are ongoing. Many of the Roundhouse's distinctive visual features are already finished and clearly visible to the public walking through the neighborhood and along the elevated river trail, which adds to the excitement of the project as it nears its completion this fall.

A new public art initiative will be added to the area later this summer. The Roundhouse Art Walk will showcase sculptures from local and national artists beginning in August. You can learn more at CityofCR.com/artwalk.

"Seeing all the elements of this project finally coming together is incredibly exciting," Pratt says. "We think the new Roundhouse will honor the memory of something that was very dear to the community, but more importantly, it will become a cornerstone of building new memories in the Czech Village and New Bohemia neighborhood for decades to come."

You can learn more about the Roundhouse project here.

Project of the Week puts a spotlight on work happening all over the City every day. Each week, we will take a closer look at projects that are investing in our community's roads, trails, Flood Control System, and more. See previous installments here:

June 25: Mount Vernon Road
June 18: Grande Avenue SE
June 11: O Avenue NW Time Check Elevation Project
June 5: Nassau Street
May 28: Cedar Lake
May 21: Tree of Five Seasons Park
May 14: 20th Street NW
May 7: 18th Avenue SW
April 30: Alliant Energy LightLine™
April 23: 42nd Street
April 16: The 3rd Avenue Bridge