Coralville Union Ecclesiastical Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	405 2nd Ave. Coralville, Iowa
Coordinates	41°40′27.2″N 91°34′13.3″W / 41.674222°N 91.570361°W / 41.674222; -91.570361
Area	less than one acre
Built	1885
NRHP reference  No.	77000526 [1]
Added to NRHP	April 11, 1977

Coralville Union Ecclesiastical Church, also known as Coralville Town Hall, is a historic building located in Coralville, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. ^[1]

History

Coralville's first church was a frame structure built by a Methodist Episcopal congregation. ^[2] It was destroyed in a fire around 1880. The Coralville Union Ecclesiastical Society was formed to build a new church. The simple brick structure with a gable roof was built about 1885 to serve as a multi-denominational church on the main floor and as a town hall on the lower level. Any orthodox church, which excluded the Unitarians or Universalists, could use the building. ^[2] In addition to the town's administration, the lower level could be used for a variety of social functions, excluding dancing. The town purchased the building in 1921 for $2,500, ^[3] and it was used as a school, a meeting house for the Evangelical Free Church, and as the town's administrative center. It was renovated for the later purpose in 1953.

After its use as a town hall the building was converted into a museum. The building stood in the way of economic development, and in order to preserve it, the city of Coralville moved it from Second Avenue to Fifth Street in 2014. ^[3] It now sits across the street from the historic Coralville Public School (1876). Both buildings flank the entrance to a mixed use development known as Old Town.

References