Area less than one acre Built by Robert A. Lewis Added to NRHP 15 September 1997 | Built 1899 Opened 1899 Architect Josselyn & Taylor | |
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Location 231 W. Main St.
Cherokee, Iowa Architectural style Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements Part of Cherokee Commercial Historic District (#05000903) | ||
The Lewis Hotel is a historic building located in Cherokee, Iowa, United States. Robert A. Lewis was a New York City native who settled in the Cherokee area in 1872. He had a background in carpentry, but he established a nursery in Cherokee. After moving into town he started planning for his hotel around 1897. He served as the contractor for its construction, and it was completed two years later. The hotel remained in the care of his family until 1966.
The three-story building was designed by the Cedar Rapids, Iowa architectural firm of Josselyn & Taylor in the Second Renaissance Revival style. The first floor exterior is composed of limestone, while the upper two floors are brick. The building sits on a trapezoid-shaped lot and because of that its facade on the Fourth Street side of the buildings in stepped back. The Illinois Central Railroad tracks were on the opposite of the street and the rail station was a block away, making this an ideal site for a hotel. A state hospital for the mentally ill was built in Cherokee in 1902, which also provided a source of hotel guests. The former hotel building was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. It was included as a contributing property in the Cherokee Commercial Historic District in 2005. The building has been transformed into an apartment building.