Museum presents Downtown Walking Tour series

Walking Tour Series

Put on your walking shoes for a series of walking tours highlighting the history of downtown Sioux City. Presented by the Sioux City Public Museum, the series of 75-minute walking tours was announced by Grace Linden, Curator of Education.

“Not only is this is a great opportunity to see the history and architecture of this city up close, it is another way to get outdoors and moving,” said Linden.

The series kicks off on Thursday, June 6 with the Northern Downtown Architectural Walking Tour. Participants should meet at 6:30 p.m. at the Museum Plaza. The walking tour will highlight several distinctly different styles of architecture from different eras. The government buildings alone feature the Richardsonian Romanesque style of the 1800s, the Prairie School style of the 1910s and the Art Deco style of the 1930s. In addition, the tour will feature the historically significant Williges, Commerce, and Davidson Buildings as well as several religious structures.

Next in the series is the Pearl and Water Street Walking Tour on Saturday, June 15 starting at 10:00 a.m. from Third & Pearl (south of Milwaukee Weiner House). With the impending construction of the Hard Rock Casino in the area, this tour will provide an interesting last look at how much of the area has appeared for the past few decades. For example, one of the highlights of the tour will be visiting the marker where Rev. George C. Haddock was murdered. The marker will likely be moved due to construction of the casino. Jill Wanderscheid, Neighborhood Services Supervisor, will be on hand to discuss recent and future investments in the area.

The series concludes on Tuesday, June 25 with the Historic Fourth Street Walking Tour. Participants should meet at 6:30 p.m. at the park located at Fourth and Virginia Streets. The two city blocks between Virginia and Iowa Streets contain several structures dating from 1889 to 1915. Once an important business district, most of the buildings fell into various states of disrepair leading to the area’s reputation as one of the more unsavory sections of the city. Today, “Historic” or “Lower” Fourth Street has been transformed once again into a thriving entertainment and dining destination.