Union Block project receives $528,000 state I-Jobs grant

DES MOINES ? Volunteers who worked tirelessly to meet a $500,000 challenge from the State of Iowa got some extra credit Friday when the Iowa Economic Development Authority announced it would award $528,000 in I-JOBS grant funding for the Union Block renovation.

The award comes after a two-month sprint in which the Union Block revitalization committee secured more than $350,000 in gifts and pledges from individuals, businesses and organizations in the area and across Iowa. The Mt. Pleasant City Council approved a $200,000 loan guarantee last week to complete the $500,000 match.

News that the project would receive an extra $28,000 came Friday from Main Street Iowa, a division of the Iowa Economic Development Authority, which administers the I-JOBS grant program.

I-JOBS is a stimulus program approved in 2010 in an effort to bolster Iowa?s infrastructure and accelerate economic growth. Main Street Iowa offered the Union Block committee the opportunity earlier this year to compete for residual program funds.

The restoration of the Union Block in downtown Mt. Pleasant will cost an estimated $3.4 million. Grants and state and federal tax credits providing nearly $2 million. Money from the I-JOBS program and local fundraising will provide another $1.25 million.  The Union Block committee will continue to fundraise, with approximately $400,000 more in private dollars needed to complete the project.

Built in 1861, the Union Block is among the most important historic structures in the region or state. The three-story building has served variously as a district court, academic institution, and concert and meeting hall. Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Bronson Alcott and other famous orators from the abolition and womenís suffrage movements delivered speeches in the upstairs meeting space. Most notably, Arabella Babb Mansfield became the first woman lawyer admitted to practice law in the United States at a swearing in ceremony in the Union Block in 1869.

The Union Block was already listed as one of Iowaís ìMost Endangered Buildingsî when a fire struck the second floor in January 2011. Thanks to the generous support of a local benefactor, Main Street Mount Pleasant was able to acquire the building soon after the blaze and immediately began plans for restoration. When complete, the Union Block will include retail and office space, and a large meeting hall ideal for education, training events and social occasions.

To donate to the Union Block, contact Main Street Mount Pleasant, 319.385.3101, or visit www.facebook.com/saveunionblock.