This article lists the oldest extant buildings in Iowa , including extant buildings and structures constructed during pre-statehood period of Iowa history. Only buildings built prior to 1850 are suitable for inclusion on this list, or the building must be the oldest of its type.
In order to qualify for the list, a structure must:
be a recognizable building (defined as any human-made structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or continuous occupancy );
incorporate features of building work from the claimed date to at least 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) in height and/or be a listed building .
This consciously excludes ruins of limited height, roads and statues. Bridges may be included if they otherwise fulfill the above criteria. Dates for many of the oldest structures have been arrived at by radiocarbon dating or dendrochronology and should be considered approximate. If the exact year of initial construction is estimated, it will be shown as a range of dates.
List of oldest buildings
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Building
Image
Location
First built
Use
Notes
Louis Arriandeaux Log House
Dubuque, Iowa
ca. 1827
Residence
Oldest house in Iowa.[ 1] Located on the grounds of the Mathias Ham House
Stringtown House
Davis County, Iowa
1832
Residence
Oldest house in Davis County
Claim House
Davenport, Iowa
ca. 1832-1833
Residence
Oldest building in Davenport
Rhodham Bonnifield House
Fairfield, Iowa
1838
Residence
St. Anthony's Catholic Church (Davenport, Iowa)
Davenport, Iowa
1838
Church
Oldest church building in use in Iowa[ 2]
Alexander Brownlie House
Long Grove, Iowa
1839
Residence
Paton and Hannah Wilson House
Salem, Iowa
1839
Residence
Rhoda Smalley House
Muscatine, Iowa
ca. 1839
Residence
I.O.O.F. Hall
Bentonsport, Iowa
ca. 1840s
Fraternity Hall
Abiathar and Nancy White House
Burlington, Iowa
ca. 1840
Residence
Largest Federal-style building in Burlington
Alexander Young Cabin
Washington, Iowa
ca. 1840
Residence
Cowles House
Bentonsport, Iowa
ca. 1840
Residence
Henderson Lewelling House
Salem, Iowa
1840
Residence
Kuhl House
Iowa City, Iowa
1840
Residence
Now home to University Press at University of Iowa [ 3]
Fort Atkinson
Fort Atkinson, Iowa
ca. 1840-1842
Military Fort
Beers and St. John Company Coach Inn
near West Liberty, Iowa
1842
Inn
Iowa Old Capitol Building
Iowa City, Iowa
1842
Government
[ 4]
James Brown House
Riverdale, Iowa
1842
Residence
Lee County Courthouse
Fort Madison, Iowa
1842
Government
Stone Academy
Solon, Iowa
1842
School
Collins-Bond House
Salem, Iowa
1843
Residence
James Nealey House
Muscatine, Iowa
ca. 1843
Residence
Potter's Mill
Bellevue, Iowa
1843
Commercial/ Mill
Thomas F. and Nancy Tuttle House
Pella, Iowa
1843
Residence
Oldest building in Pella
Van Buren County Courthouse
Keosauqua, Iowa
1843
Courthouse
Aunty Green Hotel
Bonaparte, Iowa
1844
Residence
Moyce–Steffens House
Fort Madison, Iowa
1844
Residence
Plum Grove
Iowa City, Iowa
1844
Residence
Franklin Pearson House
Keosauqua, Iowa
1845
Residence
Jackson County Courthouse
Bellevue, Iowa
1845
Courthouse
Theodore Niemann House
Jackson, County, Iowa
1845
Residence
William Fordney House
Burlington, Iowa
1845
Residence
Windrem House
Iowa City, Iowa
ca. 1845-1850
Residence
Couch-Carskaddan House
Muscatine, Iowa
ca. 1846
Residence
Larnerd Case House
Des Moines, Iowa
1846
Residence
[ 5]
Mason House Inn
Bentonsport, Iowa
1846
Residence/ Inn
Paradise Farm
Bellevue, Iowa
1846
Residence
Taylor–Van Note House
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
1846
Residence
Baptist Church
Sperry, Iowa
1847
Church
Buffalo Bill Cody Homestead
Butler Township, Scott County, Iowa
1847
Residence
Hancock House
Bentonsport, Iowa
1847
Residence
Jacob Wentz House
Iowa City, Iowa
1847
Residence
Ambrose Fulton Log Cabin
Davenport, Iowa
1848
Residence
Dominie Henry P. Scholte House
Pella, Iowa
1848
Residence
Isaac R. and Charlotte Mauck House
Muscatine, Iowa
ca. 1848
Residence
Jesse and Mary Farley House
Dubuque, Iowa
ca. 1848
Residence
Jonathan Clark Conger House
Washington, Iowa
ca. 1848
Residence
Lynnville Mill and Dam
Lynnville, Iowa
1848
Commercial/ Mill
Pine Creek Gristmill
Muscatine County, Iowa
1848
Commercial, Mill
Pioneer Log Cabin
Newton, Iowa
1848
Residence
Spring Side
Bellevue, Iowa
1848
Residence
Gen. Samuel R. Curtis House
Keokuk, Iowa
1849
Residence
Lamm-Pollmiller Farmstead
Salem, Iowa
ca. 1849
Residence
Rose Hill
Iowa City, Iowa
1849
Residence
Upper Paradise
Bellevue, Iowa
1849
Residence
Western Hotel
Holy Cross, Iowa
ca. 1849-1850
Residence