Washington Downtown Historic District
Centered on Central Park Square
Downtown Historic District.
Description
The Washington Downtown Historic District extends around the central square within the original town plat of Washington (Figure 3, page 93). The town was platted as the county seat in 1839 for Washington County in southeast Iowa. The town site is generally flat, with few hills throughout this area. The commercial buildings of Washington were historically constructed in the 19th century around the central square, which was reserved for public use in the original plat. The courthouse stood on the square from 1845 to 1869, and then it was moved to an adjacent site and the square was used as a public park. The Washington Downtown Historic District has historically and currently served as the central business district for Washington, as well as the center of governmental activities. The district is bordered by residential buildings to the north, east, south, and west, distinguishing it from the adjacent area. Additional commercial buildings stretch along highway corridors to the west, south, and east of the downtown. The Washington Downtown Historic District has a total of 118 buildings, consisting of 84 contributing buildings (including the courthouse previously listed on the National Register of Historic Places) and 34 non-contributing buildings (primarily historic buildings with later facade remodels).
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This page's URL is http://landmarkhunter.com/211952-washington-downtown-historic-district/