>>> in Iowa's first capital city, a collection of structures tell a story dating back more than a century.

Join Iowa PBS as we journey inside the historic buildings of Iowa city, home to the university of Iowa and the building blocks of our state.

XXXX stories of culture, history, and grandeur, intertwined with the structures that still remain.

A state house built on the edge of the frontier and home to Legislators for Iowa's first days as a state.

The old Capitol building resting on a hill overlooking the university of Iowa and the Iowa river.

A performing arts venue once ravaged by flood waters and then torn down before rising like a Phoenix from the ashes.

The auditorium is a show case for the arts and entertainment.

A legendary theater rebuilt for a modern age the theater in downtown Iowa city has been updated to honor its history and future role for community arts.

A brick facade housing one of the Midwest's most historic football stadiums the home to nearly a century of gridiron clashes has honored its legacy and consistently retooled for the future of Hawkeye football.

Multiple buildings that each tell a different story.

renovated, some rebuilt, all part of historic buildings of Iowa, Iowa city.

Funding for historic buildings of Iowa Iowa city is provided by friends, the Iowa PBS foundation, as well as generations of families and friends who feel passionate about the programs they watch on Iowa PBS.

And by OPM architects.

>> There is always a discovery period and whether that is really trying to find the documentation of the original building or doing the investigation every building has a story and there is always a surprise.

>> It is an iconic setting.

A few hundred feet back from a treasured Iowa river on top of a gently sloping hill cut from centuries old stone sits Iowa's Capitol building.

No, not the gold DOEMD spectacle of central Iowa.

The oddly similar description is that of the state's original Capitol, the old Capitol building lording over the campus of the university of Iowa in Iowa city.

>> The first territorial government for the state actually met in Burlington, Iowa.

It met there for one legislative session and the state was quickly growing.

They recognized the need to move west and so Iowa city and Johnson county more specifically was selected and within the next years the building was completed.

This was the state Capitol until 1857.

>> It is hard to imagine now but as the marker was placed for the forthcoming Capitol building Iowa city was nothing more than a river, some hills, and a single log cabin.

As construction started the town quickly popped up around the future legislative Capitol.

While today the building is known for its iconic porticos on the east and west entrance the reverse spiral stair case at its center, and the four buildings surrounding it the old Capitol would go through many updates before it would take its current form.

>> Excitement around the building really started as early as 1840.

The cornerstone was laid.

And construction got under way.

The original architect was not pleased with the way his plans were being followed so a few months into the building process, he left and took the plans with him.

So when the government started meeting the building looked very different from the exterior and inside as well.

>> With no construction plans and a budget growing to more than three times the expected cost features were quickly cut including the spiral stair case and the east and west porticos.

It wasn't until the 1860s when the university began updating the building.

>> It quickly became apparent even in the first year the Legislature was meeting here that the state was growing and the Capitol would need to move westward to be better positioned to serve the rest of the state.

So in 1847 the building was given to the university of Iowa.

On February 25th of 1847, the university came into being although they didn't occupy the building of course until the Legislature had moved out some ten years later.

>> In its ten YOIR Capitol run the building saw three governors sworn in, six legislative sessions, and saw the drafting of the state Constitution.

While state government eventually relocated to Des Moines, the remaining old Capitol building quickly became the landmark of the university and surrounding community.

>> When we refer to the Pentacrest it is a roughly two block by two block space in the center of campus bounded by four buildings that house classes and a number of other administrative functions as well as the museum of natural history and the Pentacrest itself is the heart of campus.

Almost every under graduate student has attended an event, played Frisbee, or just simply hung out on the Pentacrest.

It is also a place where Iowans come and during the summer spend a lot of time.

It is a unique space where campus and community get to co-exist together.

>> While the old Capitol opened its doors in 1846 the four adjacent buildings weren't collectively established until the mid 1920s.

First came Shaffer hall in 1902.

Second McBride hall in 1908.

Then McLean in 1912 and finally Jessup in 1924.

All designed by the Des Moines architecture firm and to match the style of the old Capitol building the Pentacrest became the hub of all activity and still is today.

>> This building with the other buildings on the Pentacrest are of a neo classic style.

The old Capitol in particular is known as a mature Greek revival and mature refers to the fact that the building has symetrical entrances on the long side and the columns surround the doors only.

They don't surround the entire building.

They are also not in a circle as they would be in a GRECIAN temple.

>> When you walk into the old Capitol today it appears to be a building straight out of the 1800s.

The truth is the building has lived through many phases and renovations.

It has been an armory, Chapel, home to the law school, even the museum of natural history started on the second floor as the cabinet of curiosities.

In the 1970s when the university administrative offices moved out of the old Capitol a formal plan was fashioned to restore the building to its original 1846 designs.

The old Capitol has remained in that state since 1976.

>> As America's bicentennial neared work began on the restoration of this historic landmark to a living museum.

The reconstruction began with the stripping of the building to its bare walls.

Often during these first months old Capitol looked more like a site of demolition than reconstruction.

>> The authenticity of the restoration of old Capitol was maintained in even the smallest details.

To provide a visual presentation of the total history of the building individual rooms were restored to different periods.

These details were carefully arranged to give the offices the appearance of the way old Capitol would have looked and used in the various stages of its history.

>> The original remnants of the building from the time it was built include the four pillars that surround the spiral stair case.

Those are the only original artifacts that exist in the building because of the extensive renovations.

The building now is featured with authentic period pieces.

The desks in the house chamber are reproductions of two desks we have that we know were original to the building.

Many of the books in the library were recollected from around the state because they are all marked on page 30 state library of Iowa.

In large part the four pillars are what remain.

>> As you enter the Capitol the eye catching features begin with a true rarity, a reverse spiral stair case at the very center of the structure.

Beyond its elegance it is one of only three reverse spiral stair cases in north America.

>> It is a very unusual stair case.

It is maybe my favorite feature.

This one is also unique because the top stair on the second floor perfectly aligns with the bottom stair on the first floor.

During the '20s renovation it was noted that no two Balesters on the stair case are the same height because of the unusual configuration and not having the original building plans caused many challenges when they went to restore that stair case.

Some say the lack of plans is the very reason that it is a reverse spiral.

>> As you start to wander through the halls and rooms of the Capitol you get a real sense of what it might have been like to work in the old Capitol when state government was in session.

The chambers for the state supreme court bustling with legal proceedings, lit by candlelight, warmed by wood burning stoves and a brick Harth.

The governor's office overlooking the Iowa river, desk adorned with proclamations, quills, and important letters.

The house chamber encircled with lawmaker desks.

A top level gallery for visitors to watch and stately curtains to manage the sun light as it passed by all throughout a day's affairs.

>> So all but two of the rooms in the building have been restored to look the way they would have when this was the territorial Capitol.

The two rooms that were restored to look as they did when this was a university building are the senate chamber.

It's set up to look like a lecture space of that time.

Also, the university President's office is set up to look like it would have in the late '60s, early '70s when Willard Boyd was the President of the university.

He was the last President to occupy that office space before President's administrative suite moved to Jessup Hall.

On the desk sits a piece of a meteor that landed in Marion on February 25th, 1847.

And coincidentally, that's the day the university of Iowa was founded.

So that meteor commemorates a really unique experience in the state and also commemorates the founding of the university.

People said the boom could be heard as far away as Iowa city.

>> As an historic artifact the old Capitol is both attractive and transportive.

Take for instance the house chamber where the gallery is a clear sign of the times.

>> In the '70s renovation there was evidence of a gallery that existed in the house chamber.

It was the women's viewing gallery.

Although you'll notice if you are up in that space because of the angle of the gallery and the height of the gallery you can't see what's happening on the house floor.

But you can hear the proceedings.

That was the attempt of the day to keep the women who wanted to come and observe the proceedings from gossiping about the activities afterward.

Also if you have a moment and you sit and pause on one of those benches you realize how terribly uncomfortable it is.

That is because the benches were designed for women wearing hoop skirts and bustles to sit in and supported them in a very different way.

Than the way we sit in a chair today.

>> Ever dedicated to depicting the era another artifact that might be overlooked throughout the Capitol are the spitOONS.

>> In that era it was very common for men and women to use chewing tobacco and of course they needed a place then for the spit that they couldn't swallow.

So we have all manner of spitOONS throughout the building.

Some are larger like those in the house chamber where people spent more time.

There are also some smaller versions.

There are hand held versions that a lady could hold because it was considered unattractive for her to spit.

>> Of course, not all renovations are period accurate.

In fact, the 1920s update which saw the addition of the spiral stair case and the west entrance portico also installed a roof line fire wall.

While not a feature visible on a public tour it did save the old Capitol from disaster in 2001 when a fire broke out while removing asbestos from the gold dome and Cupola.

>> We were fortunate in that while there was smoke damage and extensive water damage everything was able to be saved thanks in large part to the firefighters who responded.

They pulled many of the artifacts to the center of the rooms, covered them with heavy tarps and plastics, protected many, many things from water damage and from being ruined.

So at that point in 2006 after four and a half years of renovations and restorations the building was able to be opened to the public.

>> Through multiple updates, drastic changes in use, and even a trial by fire, the old Capitol building still stands.

From its start as the state's territorial Capitol to the iconic center piece of the university the building has maintained its draw as a focal point of the community and state.

>> These sorts of spaces are really very special and to be able to come visit them in person transports individuals back to another time.

It allows them to imagine what it would have been like when the house was in session, when they were working to ratify the state's Constitution, when there was a trial happening in the supreme court chamber.

These cultural spaces -- it is very easy for them to vanish.

And for us to forget what was here and what came before us.

So that is another important reason to maintain and preserve these spaces.

[ Applause ] >> Historic buildings of Iowa, Iowa city here on Iowa PBS.

I'm here in the studio with the executive producer of this program and we are bringing this to you as part of festival because this is the kind of program that we do here at Iowa PBS.

This is your history, your state, your historic landmarks in a place familiar to a lot of folks but a lot of people probably haven't seen these buildings in this kind of way.

And were able to explore these buildings and the history and bring them to you as part of this program.

We'd love to hear from you right now.

Go on the website.

Scan the QR code.

Whatever is easiest for you.

A little teaser.

We'll get to more in a moment but we have a bus tour to give you an opportunity to go see some of these venues in person coming up on Friday, July 22nd.

For a one-time gift of $120 or $10 as a sustaining member each month you can get one ticket and be on that bus tour.

You will see all of the venues featured in the program.

We've seen the old Capitol in the first segment here but still to come we've got the ENGLERT theater, Hampshire auditorium, KINNIC stadium and you'll get all of those.

The bus is going to stop, quite a packed day.

>> A big day in Iowa city.

>> But really cool things.

So you'll be able to see some of that in person as well.

Andrew, for those who can't go or those people who, for whatever reason, you know, maybe have never been to these places or it has been a really long time a program like this gives people an opportunity to explore.

>> It does.

This is kind of an example of Iowa PBS at its best.

We take you to the places in your own back yard.

You might think you know Iowa.

You might know Iowa city.

Maybe you went to school there.

Maybe you dropped a kid off there a few weeks ago.

Maybe you've been to a football game in Iowa city.

But you probably haven't seen all of these locations and definitely not from the perspective that our very talented team here on Iowa PBS can provide.

And we give you context.

We're not just showing you that old Iowa Capitol.

We're showing you that journey and the history of it.

You know, its origins as the earliest days of our state's government and going through its, a tragedy in its fire and restoration and the beauty of that symbol in Iowa city now.

This is an example of a program that gives you one of the best ways to experience it.

Probably almost as good as going on the bus tour.

But you get that perspective that you're not going to get anywhere else.

And it is, like I said, Iowa PBS at its best showing history in your own back yard.

>> And so many of us here at Iowa PBS are Iowans.

We're born here, raised here.

We've worked here our entire careers.

And we love being ALK to tell the stories of Iowa going out and finding interesting people and places and bringing them to you in a way nobody else does.

That is what we do here at Iowa PBS because you and other folks like you have made that financial investment in this network, allowing us to do this kind of work.

We have other great thank you gifts to share with you.

Bill Riley is standing by with us in the studio with more on those.

Bill?

>> Thank you Travis.

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen.

Just a wonderful show tonight.

Just what Andrew and Travis were speaking about.

This is where Iowa PBS shines.

This is what makes this network so special.

We thank our friends of Iowa PBS, behind us, ready to hear from you.

Give them a call.

We've got some great thank you gifts for your pledging tonight at the $60 one-time gift level or $5 a month sustainer level.

The historical buildings of Iowa coffee mug.

What a great way to wake up every day with a hot cup of coffee in a beautiful coffee mug.

Also at the $60 one time gift level or $5 sustainer level is a magnificent postcard book just loaded with 220 images of past postcards, historical glimpses of Iowa city that are just wonderful.

You know, we're nine months away from Christmas I know.

Think about it.

That is a wonderful gift for somebody that may have some history in Iowa city, like Andrew was saying, went to school there what have you.

That would be a wonderful thing to get somebody to open up on Christmas morning.

Third up, $72 one time gift, your choice of a DVD or a blue ray of the historic buildings of Iowa episode.

$6 per month sustainer level.

At the $120 level, one time gift, is the Iowa city bus tour that the guys were talking about.

This would be just a chance of a lifetime to get into some of the very unique parts of Iowa city.

The ENGLERT theater alone is well worth the price of this ticket.

It is spectacular.

Hampshire, KINNICK, everybody is aware of that.

The natural museum of history.

Includes lunch.

What a great way to support Iowa PBS.

Iowa public television.

Just dated myself again.

I am kind of an old guy so at the $120 one time gift or $10 a month.

Then the combo.

$25 a month sustaining, the bus tour, coffee mug, postcard book, and your choice of the DVD or blue ray options.

Now, we have something for tonight only and this is a fun, fun deal.

This is a jigsaw puzzle.

Fun at the Iowa state fair.

All of the pledges that I just listed the $60 and above, or that $5 per month level, gives you an opportunity to buy this puzzle.

It is an additional $25 but it is a fun picture and a great puzzle.

Great fun maybe at the cabin this summer as you prepare for the great state fair weather in August.

This is super, super fun.

You have to call in during this program.

After the program, the puzzle is off the table.

So for an additional $25, and the puzzle should be on your table.

That's what I'm saying.

800-779-7000 is the number to call.

You can down load the app on your phone.

If you can't figure it out find the nearest 12-year-old.

They'll get you hooked up.

You can get what is called passport.

This super charges the app.

And we're going to take a look at everything that passport brings you right now.

>> Is there a program you'd like to watch again?

Maybe a performance you didn't get a chance to see.

Now you can with PBS passport a terrific member benefit that lets you stream more than a thousand hours of PBS and local programming on your computer or through the PBS app on your phone, tablet, smart TV, or streaming device.

All your favorites wherever, whenever you want.

And with your qualifying contribution it'll help make the great programs on this station possible.

So reach out to the number on your screen or go online and get your PBS passport today.

>>> And the important thing is for us to hear from you right now.

We've got these great thank you gifts.

You've got passport, you've got advance magazine.

You've got our friends member card.

All of these ways that we're saying, thank you to you for your dollars of support.

But remember, when you make the investment what you are really doing is investing in programs like you are watching, historic buildings of Iowa, Iowa city program.

Your dollars allow us to take our crews, producers, videographers and go out and shoot and gather this content and bring it back and involve our production technicians and editors and audio engineers and everybody else here behind the scenes who helped make these programs possible.

That is what your dollars do.

Andrew, we've filmed a lot of these segments in the early part of the pandemic.

>> Right.

>> At a time when a lot of people couldn't go and visit these places.

That was a good reminder of the value of a program like this and being able to give people another way, another avenue to explore these places.

>> Some of our viewers may not know this is the third in a series of programs we produced about historic buildings in Iowa.

We started in our capital city of Des Moines and featured our second largest community of Cedar rapids and have gone on now to Iowa city.

There are so many places.

We hear from so many different folks when we are out and about that hey, we've got a lot of great history and buildings in our community.

You're right.

We'd love to tell those stories and we can tell those stories with support from you when you join as a member of Iowa PBS.

>> When people do make that investment they are allowing us the resources to continue programs like this and we may have another historic buildings of Iowa coming down the road.

>> We just might.

What our viewers have seen is the old Iowa Capitol.

You'll see KINNICK theater, the ENGLERT theater.

Beautiful venues.

Others probably show you a football game at KINNICK but this is a different perspective.

It is what Iowa PBS offers.

Something different and local.

We are a statewide network that offers this as a program and in depth program.

This is an hour long program.

>> We've seen the old Capitol.

Still to come we have the ENGLERT theater and Hampshire auditorium, museum of natural history and KINNICK stadium.

Lots to come.

Let's get back to the program and hear from you in the interim as well.

800-779-7000 we're going back to historic buildings of Iowa, Iowa city.

Thank you for watching and thank you for giving.

>> When you think of historic buildings HanCher auditorium may not be what comes to mind.

Covered in brush steel and walls of glass it opened its doors in 2016.

This state-of-the-art world class performing arts venue is visually stunning and has all the bells and whistles a performer or patron could want.

The history is just as rich.

>> So HANCHER when it came to the university of Iowa I feel like it changed the whole landscape of arts in our state and our country, too.

Right away immediately HANCHER presented world class artists you would see in New York City or Chicago or Los Angeles or somewhere on the west coast.

People really took pride in HanCHER.

For a community of this size to be supported by the university and also by the donors and to be able to live up to the programming presented.

It was a big deal.

>> The original HanCHER opened its doors in 1972 named after Virgil HanCher the longest serving President in the university history who wanted to make the arts available to as many people as possible.

For more than 35 years, its stage welcomed artists, scholars, student performers, and some of the most well known musicians and entertainers in the world.

>> When that original HanCHER opened in '72, I was in the audience when Rudolph performed with the national ballet of Canada.

I was a young kid from a small town in Iowa and I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

>> Then in 2008 disaster.

Unprecedented flooding damaged more than 50% of the building beyond repair.

HanCHER was one of five campus buildings permanently closed and the university had no choice but to tear it down and start over.

at a high point just uphill a Newhan Cher rose from the ground sitting 7 feet above the 500-year flood level.

FEMA picked up a large portion of the $176 million price tag 25 times what it cost to build the original.

Dozens of architects, some of the best in the world, competed for the coveted job of creating it.

>> We wanted Hancher to be here because of the accessibility, because of the view, just because of the spansive lot.

We really had an opportunity to do something pretty exquisite here.

I wanted them during this phase of design to really understand what this building was going to be doing.

Not just the structure of the building, the design of the building, but the function and the use of the building.

And the opportunity we had to build the best building possible.

>> The crown jewel is the 1800 seat theater, about 700 seats fewer than old Hancher but with views and acoustics that are hard to beat.

>> You can stand on that stage as an artist and look out into that audience and you can see those faces.

It really generates such chemistry between the audience and the artist.

So the intimacy of the hall is one thing I just really cherish and I love the acoustics is great.

Also this color.

I think the color is so unusual.

It is very inviting.

You know, the lighting is very unusual, very different.

Francesca was the lighting designer.

We have won several awards.

We gave her a charge at the very beginning, our team.

We said we want something different.

Something that doesn't exist anywhere at all.

And so that is when she came up with the hoop lights.

And to this day she tells me, because we're still in contact.

She said, not that I know of does anybody have the hoop lights.

Then the twinkly lights, too.

It just presents itself with a different sort of feel but wears well on you.

It is not so ostentatious that you tire of it.

>> The design respects that of the original building but unlike the old Hancher this one doesn't have a back side.

All public areas feature a visual connection to the river, other nearby art buildings, and the rest of campus and the community.

>> We came out a winner.

We really did.

But we were very careful about every stage of it and there again we tried in the best way possible to be appreciative, inclusive, and to celebrate along the way.

>> Announcer: Majestic lobby splashed with sun light.

A second level terrace.

Ceilings of Cypress wood, subtle works of art themselves.

>> We spent so much time talking about the social areas of Hancher.

Performing art centers have changed.

People come to be seen.

People come to be heard.

People come to really forget about a lot of their worries.

They come to be taken to another world.

And so we put a lot of effort into the views from that lobby.

>> The featured art work includes anonymous creature in the main lobby by west African sculptor.

Rows and rows of recycled liquor bottle tops intricately woven together with copper wire.

And we all perform, a local piece featuring students from seven communities across Iowa who took selfies and then transformed them into text tied to the notion of performance.

>> It talks so much about self-esteem.

It talks about inclusiveness.

It talks about communities just really being a part of the arts and about being part of Hancher's world.

I just love that piece.

>> It is a premier performing arts venue and cultural focal point with a lasting legacy.

And with space for rehearsals, teaching, and impressive scene and costume shots with ample storage, tools, and work areas of envy, Hancher is also referred to as the largest classroom on campus.

>> It is of course dance, music, and theater are a big part of our partnerships but we also relate to business, to law, to medicine, to nursing, to social work.

To rhetoric classes.

I mean, we find ways when it makes sense to integrate the arts into the classroom.

So the building when it was built, we really had students in mind.

We really thought not only students in the audience but we want students on stage.

>> The awe inspiring structure, setting, and spirit of Hancher connects its proud history to the present and the future.

The encore even better than the first act for the university, the community, and the state.

>> What we ended up with is just a Masterpiece.

It really is.

In so many ways.

It is a Masterpiece from the beauty but also the function.

There is that form and function and the team really looked at that very carefully all the way through because we wanted an iconic building, a beautiful building, but we wanted it to work, too.

We wanted to build a home and not a house.

>> In today's collegiate environment almost always newer is considered better.

But inside the university of Iowa's MacBride hall sits the museum of natural history, a time capsule of both flora and fauna of the world around.

But the museum, itself, is a treasure of architecture and design from more than a century ago.

>> The large mahogany cases, the high ceilings, just the expanse of the space really makes you feel like you again are in this time machine and you're transported back to an earlier period on campus.

>> The natural history museum is one of the oldest features of the university.

In 1858 surveyors from the university of Iowa explored the state's land and resources cataloging everything they encountered.

As they returned to Iowa city with a bounty of discoveries to share the university converted the old Capitol's former state senate chamber into the museum's initial home then titled the cabinet of curiosities.

The collection wouldn't find its permanent home for another 50 years following an historic campus disaster.

In 1897 Iowa proudly housed the largest academic library west of the Mississippi.

And with the crack of a single bolt of 4:00 a.m. lightning the university library lit a flame.

Even with firefighters' best efforts the fire completely devoured the building and it collapsed.

More than 80,000 books, volumes, and other collections were lost in the fire.

>> The university administration very quickly came to realize that a number of their collections including the cabinet of curiosities was in danger of being lost.

And, also, in order to remain competitive with the colleges on the east coast faculty petitioned that they have a building dedicated to the natural sciences built.

And so MacBride hall was built and construction started in 1904.

Finished in 1908 and the museum then moved in.

>> In the four stage plan to construct the buildings of the Pentacrest the natural sciences building was the second structure erected, today known as MacBride style.

Its style was chosen to match century earlier, a choice made specifically to with stand disasters of all kinds.

>> These buildings are local lime stone and they're here to last.

They have with stood tornadoes, derechos, floods, fires, you name it.

These buildings have seen it.

One of the really special things about it is the floor tiling.

The tiling was laid and at that time you could not buy sheets of tile.

Each tile mosaic was hand set, so visitors may notice that patterns may be just a little bit off.

It is one of the things that makes our building really special.

>> The construction of the natural sciences building was a long dream of head of the zoological department Charles nutting who personally led dozens of exploratory expeditions across the world and often shared his work to packed Iowa city audiences.

If the library fire was the catalyst to get the building erected C.C.

nutting's work laid the foundation for what the museum would become.

>> In the early 1900s it was really the age of expeditions.

The museum director at that time, Charles nutting, was a Marine invertebrate biologist so the expedition he was none 1904 the ship happened to make land on an island and he was taken with the scene before him.

Thousands of birds, no humans, no Predators to the birds.

Just this three mile expanse of land.

He felt that it was imperative that this exhibit be built so experience this place that they likely would never otherwise be able to travel to.

>> In 1914 the cyclo-rama was opened to the public.

From the day it opened to today it has been a one of a kind, 360-degree immersive experience.

As visitors step inside they are transported 800 miles west of Hawaii to the islands as seen by C.C.

nutting in 1902.

>> For people visiting today it is very nearly unchanged from the day it was installed and opened to the public.

It's this complete time machine that was built before the idea of virtual reality existed, before the widespread use of photographs, before even widespread travel.

It's really very special.

>> Why the cyclo-rama is the museum, it is far from its only entrancing feature.

Displays upon displays allow up close looks at animals from within the state's borders and far beyond.

>> Because we are a university museum, it is not just animals of Iowa.

It's animals from all over the world.

So you'll find panda bears, you'll see a zebra, you'll see musk Ox, you'll see grand Peacocks and Iowa hall devoted to the natural history of the state of Iowa so beginning in prehistoric times up through native cultures of the state all aspects of Iowa culture is examined.

>> For nearly as long as the university has existed the researchers, explorers, and museum curators have been working diligently to share the natural world with visitors to MacBride hall.

Compared to the planet, Iowa is a small ecosystem, but a diverse one that we're still learning about.

And as a university natural history collection has survived fires, tornadoes, pandemics, and more, its mission has been the same.

To inspire visitors to learn about the natural world and cherish it.

>> If you don't know and care about something, you're not going to want to conserve it and protect.

And so that's a big piece of what we are here to do is to educate the public about these different, really special areas all around the world.

>> So the Englert theater was originally the dream of ADA Englert and she managed to convince her husband who was a very successful businessman they should invest some funds into creating a theater for this community.

So the building was built in 1912.

It was a Vaudeville house, old opera house and Eta and bill lived on the third floor of the theater.

The story goes they would host parties, that they had doors that opened into the balcony from what is now our parlor gallery space.

And that they were really just hosts of the theater as well.

Eventually the theater of course followed the course of American theaters and transitioned into silent movies, movies with musical accompaniment and then just became a basic cinema.

>> Even at one point they divided the theater in two and put a wall down the middle and put up two theaters which was really awkward because they did not change the seats so you were sitting in your seat and you were looking at the movie over there.

>> A lot of people fondly remember sitting through a quiet, romantic film and being able to hear an action film through the wall on the other side and when it was torn down for the renovations we discovered there wasn't really insulation between the two walls.

>> The Englert theater has been a staple of downtown Iowa city for more than a century.

Its evolving marquee has hung as a landmark for countless travelers stating they had arrived in town.

And while today it is a beautifully restored, nationally recognized entertainment space, very little besides the walls of the Englert date back to its origin in 1912.

>> The back walls of the theater are still fire licked from the fire of 1926.

Unfortunately we are not exactly sure of the cause of the fire.

But it is believed that the unstable nature of film at that point to where it had to be kept in fire proof boxes that that is probably what caused the fire.

>> The fire, basically climbed across the ceiling and dripped down the brick wall so all of the bricks were colored with this ancient smoke.

>> There's some historical accounts that put Eta Englert sitting out front with Dora Chapman whose family actually operated the theater after Bill passed away.

They watched the theater burn.

We did lose a few architectural features, the boxes on the side.

The lobby was retained and when the theater was rebuilt they didn't keep a lot of the original foot print, curved wall in the lobby and other aspects and the dressing rooms we believe are original from that period,lobby and other aspects and the dressing rooms we believe are and other aspects and the dressing rooms we believe are original from that period, too.

>> Today it is a wonderful mix of modern and historic charm.

The flair of 20th century architecture is waiting to greet visitors.

>> When you first walk into the Englert the very first thing you see is this booth where you would purchase your ticket although you just gave them money and you walked in.

That is a replica.

The floor in the front lobby is slate that is original.

If you look up at the ceiling, there is plaster molding of grapes that go along the border and two plaster coat of arms that are there so right away when you walk in there's all this history immediately.

The dressing rooms also contain a lot of original features.

Dressing room doors that are still down there and we have some in the basement.

And the sinks down there.

So it looks really industrial and, you know, got personality.

On the stage, at the back of the stage, is that we have a traditional fly system.

So above me right now is where all of our soft goods, curtains, and screens live please.

And lights.

And they get to come in and out for different shows.

We have a lot of flexibility when it comes to the aesthetic of our stage and we have to sometimes do live moves during shows so we have staff that will have to stay up on the fly rail and pull in certain batons when it is time and take them out when it's time and that little bit of theater that's left is really cool.

And we have some bricks on our brick wall and in our dressing rooms that have been signed by famous people and artists throughout time who have come and visited our space and performed in our space.

So it's a little archive of past performers.

All over the walls.

Which is just fun to revisit.

>> Throughout its evolution, the fate of the I think LERT theater hinged on one key sale.

In 1999 the building was sold to a local bar owner planning to convert the space into a night club.

Those plans fired up the local arts community who started a public campaign to save the performance and arts space in the early 2000s.

Quickly, the building was sold to a nonprofit which led to its indefinite preservation.

>> So the Englert is on the national registry of historic places.

And what that means logistically for us is that we get to keep everything that was ever once in the building that is historic.

So our basement is full of old sinks, bath tubs, radiators, the big pulleys that lit up the stage lights.

Now we do it at a computer.

We have a lot of the storage units for the CELLULOID film and an old projection canister.

A lot of it is really cool and some is sinks.

We just make piles of it and share the love with tourists interested in that kind of thing.

>> With its place on the national registry the Englert is required to hold on to its history.

One intriguing aspect of the theater is when it chose to retain pieces of its past that were redefined by global tragedy.

>> I think one of the interesting pieces about the theater are these little tiles that are Embedded right outside the, one of the side doors.

They were put in when the theater was first built.

They are signs of prosperity and luck put right in the foot print of the building.

One of the symbols is actually a Swastika which is something we've had to contemplate over time because at the time that would have been put in the Swastika had a very different meaning.

In fact, outside of the Nazi party and their appropriation of that symbol, it has a different meaning throughout the world.

So it's been a wonderful way to have a conversation with students and community members as they come through.

Sometimes we have to answer some hard questions about that.

But it is a story we're willing to discuss and dig into the history.

>>> As renovation efforts got going in the early 2000s one of the priorities was the marquee.

Having been refashioned several times over the building's century long history the decision was made to restore the iconic look of the 1958 marquee.

>> So the marquee definitely was in need of some love.

A lot of the Neon wasn't working anymore.

It no longer did its sporadic light show.

It was just on or off.

Getting a marquee like that restored is definitely a challenging process.

Because we had to disassemble it and then ship it somewhere where they restore historic marquees.

It was gone off the front of the building.

It was a reminder to the community that we were doing work.

That we hadn't shut down.

Though it was also really sad to see this, all of a sudden it's gone.

And I was thinking about the students coming to the university of Iowa for the first time as freshmen and not having this sight in their world.

But it was restored beautifully.

In order to celebrate this, we had outdoor marquee lighting event.

So having it come back and light up in this beautiful, original glory, brand spanking new Neon, it was really emotional.

>> Saving the Englert theater has helped retain a piece of Iowa city not connected to the university.

It is a privately owned performance and arts house that has entertained generations of visitors and with its renovation efforts will continue to do so for future generations >> I think it's incredibly important for communities to preserve the buildings that are important to them in order to just kind of maintain the longevity of even the story of what the community is.

At the point when we preserved and saved the theater, you know, they really predicted we'd be able to support about 60 events per year.

Now we're looking at having over 100,000 people through our doors, close to 200 events per year.

Our community has stepped forward to support everything that we do.

They get married here.

They have funeral services here.

They come and see their favorite bands here.

It's more than a building.

It's really a center of our community.

[ Applause ] >> You're watching "historic buildings of Iowa Iowa city" here on Iowa PBS.

Our team has put together this wonderful, historic look in a very unique way of some of these buildings and land marks in Iowa city, our state government's first Capitol located there we saw in the first segment of the show.

We've seen a couple theaters now and the museum of natural history.

We've got another segment coming up in a moment with a venue that many of you will recognize, Kinnick stadium but seeing it in a way you haven't before.

But first we want to hear from you right now.

800-779-7000 the number to call.

Go on the website.

Scan the QR code and make your investment in this kind of programming here on Iowa PBS.

We have a whole slew of thank you gifts.

We want to mention the bus trip.

You have the opportunity to be on that tour, to get one ticket.

You'll see all of these venues in person so the bus tour will start and stop in Iowa city and includes lunch, $120 one time gift, $10 ongoing monthly as a sustaining member.

And you can be on that tour and with a lot of other friends of Iowa PBS as well.

We have friends and volunteers here in the studio helping us right now, waiting to help you make your investment in Iowa PBS.

It was fun going to these places.

I have been to a few before and got to explore a couple new places in ways I hadn't seen before.

>> Right.

This program, historic buildings of Iowa Iowa city gives your viewer that chance to experience them yourself.

You don't even have to drive to Iowa city.

It is an incredible perspective, inside, behind the scenes, above and around many locations as Travis mentioned.

Places of theater, Hancher auditorium, the story of Iowa is the story of natural disasters at times.

The original Hancher was flooded and they rebuilt this amazing facility.

To see it from the inside, from the outside from a drone perspective.

It is the story, the history.

This is what Iowa PBS does best.

We didn't just show you a couple images and move on.

We went in depth into just one story that is almost ten minutes long in a program almost an hour long to give you perspective.

That is what Iowa PBS is here for.

I tell you, to go to Iowa city there aren't a lot of other net works that will go spend an hour on a documentary about historic buildings in Iowa city.

That is what Iowa PBS does.

We are a statewide network and we tell the stories of your communities.

Whether you lived there or have never gone there before this program gives you perspective and we want to do more of these programs.

>> This is the kind of program we've done for many years here at Iowa PBS and will continue to do with your support.

Your dollars make it happen.

It takes money for us to go to Iowa city and spend time there, take our crew, equipment, drones, all of those things involved in producing a really high quality documentary like this.

You help make it happen.

You're part of our team.

So we want to hear from you right now.

800-779-7000.

We mentioned the bus tour.

But there are some other great thank you gifts as well.

Bill Riley is here with us in the studio to tell you more about those.

>> Thank you, Travis.

We got you covered.

Call in and talk to our volunteers.

They are ready to help you out.

We have wonderful thank you gifts for you tonight in this beautiful program "the historic buildings of Iowa city."

At the $60 level one time gift this really cool coffee mug.

What a great way to start your morning knowing that you backed Iowa PBS and it is just a beauty.

So at the $60 one time gift.

Or the sustainer level at $5 also gets you that coffee mug.

At the same level of gift, you get this incredible book of postcards.

Antique shots of Iowa city that are just so interesting.

I've got the book in front of me here and I've been peeking through it.

It is fun.

Again, a great birthday gift or Christmas gift for someone from Iowa city or the state of Iowa.

Same level, $60 one time gift or $5 monthly sustainer.

That sustainer level is important because it spreads things out over the whole year.

So consider that as well.

So at $72 one time gift your choice of a DVD or a blue ray disc of tonight's show.

This show is worth having in your library.

You can pull this back out and revisit -- we just saw the natural museum of history and the Englert, I've been there a number of times for concerts.

It is just a gorgeous auditorium.

But to hear the story about how they revitalized it and got it back up to spec as they say is tremendous.

So your chance with the blue ray or DVD.

Also Travis and Andrew talked about the Iowa city bus tour coming up.

What an opportunity.

Friday, July 22nd.

Starts in Iowa city, ends in Iowa city.

Lunch is included.

But man.

What a way to see all of these beautiful facilities and old buildings and new buildings in Iowa city.

$120 one time gift or at that monthly sustainer level of $10.

Hey, get them all.

The combo is $300 one time gift or $25 at the sustainer level.

That is what I suggest.

Get them all.

That is the way to support Iowa PBS.

Now, during this show only, we have a wonderful jigsaw puzzle.

Andrew is teasing me.

Leave it to Bill Riley to weave in the Iowa state fair during historic buildings of Iowa but that is just how I'm wired.

Okay?

I'm ready for the fair.

You gotta get ready.

This is a great way.

It's a puzzle.

$25 in addition to your pledge gets you the puzzle and it is for this show only.

You have to call in during this program.

We have a lot of great thank you gifts.

We appreciate your support here at Iowa PBS.

800-779-7000 is the number.

We also want to introduce you to the benefit of the member card.

Let's take a peek at that right now.

>> Two for one dining at 300 restaurants.

Two for one admission to cultural attractions.

Green fees and other sporting discounts.

All of our, if you make a pledge, thank you gift that you get the membership card and we've got one.

We use it all the time.

It's great at restaurants.

You'll find the restaurants enjoy seeing that membership card because they are backing Iowa PBS as well.

With tonight's thank you gifts you qualify for the membership gift.

We'll toss it back to Travis and Andrew.

>> All kinds of goodies, Bill.

That puzzle is a really fun way to kind of have something Active to do and reminisce a little bit about the fair and see all of the wonderful landmarks.

There are historic building at the fair too.

It is fine to weave that in.

Andrew, I was reminded in the last segment we looked at the Hancher auditorium.

On the outside you look at Hancher and you think, wow.

This is a really nice, flashy, new building.

How is that an historic building?

But history really is kind of what you make of it.

Whether it is something that's super, super old, or it has a unique place in history.

>> Right.

>> That's why we included Hancher, because of the, of course shall the historic flood of 2008 that wiped out the old Hancher and they had to start anew.

So it has an important place in the history of Iowa si.

And, you know, a program like this gives us the opportunity to really highlight and celebrate those kinds of things as well.

>> Yes.

One of the things Iowa PBS does best is tell stories about Iowa.

We're telling those through these buildings.

Maybe they are a new building.

Maybe they are an old building that's been renovated.

there was a fire in it.

You know, in the coming year they'll regild that dome if gold.

These buildings are part of our story.

Their stories are ongoing.

This is part of what Iowa PBS does and as I said before we really want to keep telling these kinds of stories.

It is not just about a building but the people that came there, our state's history, and about a network that we're the only ones that are going to tell that story.

>> In this next segment we have coming up we'll take a unique look at Kinnick stadium.

Now I hear through the FRAP vine that you might be an Iowa state guy.

>> That's okay.

>> They must not have gotten word of that when we were filming because they let you in >> I will tell you anyone out there that is not a Hawkeye fan you can still appreciate Kinnick stadium.

Its history, its background.

If I can you can.

It is really neat.

They let us in including me.

To fly around, a lot of great drone work, really neat how it is nestled in there in Iowa city.

The history is neat to see.

Some of the images we go into the archives and look at how they built this and what Iowa city looked like when they decided to put a football stadium there.

>> Wasn't much else there at the time.

>> No.

>> It is really cool to get an inside look.

For a lot of people there were some places there we were able to give people a perspective they probably haven't seen before.

>> Right.

>> Let's get back to the program and let you see Kinnick stadium for yourself on this next segment.

Thank you so much for your support.

>> Resting in the heart of Iowa city, a living monument to a century of gridiron battles.

Rebuilt over generations but still connected to its past.

The brick facade of Kinnick stadium still stands as the history of Iowa football is enshrined in murals and statues.

Including the Iowa farm boy whose name still resonates 80 years after winning a Heisman trophy.

A stadium modernized over decades with 21st century accommodations.

A new playing surface.

And a press box rebuilt for years to come.

Kinnick stadium is one of the Midwest's most historic football stadiums still welcoming nearly 70,000 fans to fall Saturdays in Iowa city.

[Cheers and Applause] >> I think it is special to be a Hawkeye and to be here to play on this field when you play on it, when the players come out invariably, they say, they get goose bumps.

The one thing I'll say right off about Kinnick stadium it was known back in the 1930s and is still known now in the 2020s as maybe one of the top two or three best stadiums in the country to watch a football game.

>> In the 1920s university of Iowa administrators conceived of a new stadium after years of playing on the modest Iowa field.

An artist's rendering at the time envisioned the next steps for the athletic department.

A new shrine for Hawkeye football.

>> We're also going to move forward or we hope to anyway as far as building a new stadium.

Iowa football stadium.

And that was in 1927.

So we took it to I guess what would have been the board of Regents back at that time and it was approved.

They started building Kinnick stadium in I believe it was late march or April of 1929 and it was ready for occupancy in October of 1929.

So they had a work crew of like 250 people, Kinnick stadium.

They worked day and night.

You see it's below the level of the streets and everything.

They had horses and carriages carrying the dirt out.

There is still a legend and I think it's true that a number of horses died in the act and they're still buried below the field that we know now as the Kinnick stadium playing surface.

And I believe attendance for one of those first games was right near 50,000, which was an all time record for the state of Iowa for any football facility and then the story goes from there.

All we had at that time was the east stands and the west stands.

There were no stands in either of the end zones.

That came at a later time.

>> A new tradition at the new Iowa stadium as its future namesake became a Hawkeye in the late 1930s.

Nile Kinnick an Iowa farm boy would go on to win the Heisman trophy and was a decorated student athlete and later assistant coach.

Kinnick's on field achievements would be rivaled by his reputation in academics.

>> The one thing I can tell you right now, a number, not just one or two, a number of people, said he was the kind of person that he could have run for President.

He was in law.

I guess he was brilliant.

He was an honor student.

They said they could see him as a future, certainly a senator, Congressman, and probably run for higher office at some time.

He even helped coach here at Iowa as I guess back then I don't know if you'd call it a graduate assistant or if he was an official assistant coach but he was on the coaching staff until we got into the full fledged rigors of World War II and then he was called into service.

>> Kinnick would enlist in World War II and later died in a plane crash.

His statue on the south end of the stadium is a symbol for the university of Iowa and a pregame ritual for the Hawkeye football team.

Nile Kinnick's Heisman acceptance speech still echoes through the stadium on game days.

>> Finally, if you will permit me, I'd like to make a comment which in my mind is indicative perhaps of the greater significance of football and sports emphasis in general in this country.

And that is I thank God I was warring on the gridirons of the Midwest and not on the battle fields of Europe.

[Cheers and Applause] >> Peel go -- people go there.

They touch his helmet as a tribute to Nile Kinnick.

It is something if you've never been here or if you have but never to the statue go over and read the stuff written about Nile Kinnick on there and his exploits as an athlete and as a scholar student.

>> It became Kinnick stadium I believe it was 1972, 1973.

And it obviously was to honor Iowa's greatest and only Heisman trophy winner Nile Kinnick who won the trophy in 1939 and later died a couple years later in World War II in an airplane accident.

But that's who it was to honor.

There was some discussion at the time should we name it, you know, Slater stadium, should we, after duke Slater, should we name it Kinnick Slater stadium?

But I think everybody pretty much agreed back then it should go to the only person who won the Heisman trophy for Iowa.

>> In 2021 the playing field was named Duke Slater field after the first black student athlete in school history to earn all America honors while playing from 1918 to 1920.

While he never played on the future Iowa stadium site, Slater's name now adorns its field.

>> There have been a number of renovations.

You see what the north and south stands are now.

They're permanent.

They're state-of-the-art.

They're first class.

And they are just beautiful.

Our capacity right now is just under 69,000.

But just prior to that before there was some renovation, in the north end zone, it got up to about 70,500.

I dare say, I would not take any other stadium in the big 10 above this.

The angle of the seating is spectacular.

It always has been.

It is now.

You go in some stadiums where it is a slow pitch and you get to the back.

We have 79 rows in our stadium.

And you go in some stadiums and you get to the back row.

You're actually far enough away you do need binoculars.

The fans are right on top of you.

There isn't in my opinion except for maybe sometimes row one or two or three way down low where you can't see as well there isn't a bad seat in the house.

The opposition hates it because the home fans are right on top of you.

And there used to be some teams that came in and said I didn't like going to Iowa because sometimes when we did something good the home fans would spit on you and the spit would actually reach you.

So it was, I mean, it is the best stadium in the country for -- from a fan's standpoint.

From the home team's standpoint it is the best stadium in the country because the fans are right there and you can hear them.

It's not like a lot of stadiums where there is a running track in between the actual football field and the stadium or where there is 15, 20 yards between row one and the actual field.

I mean, everybody here is within five yards of being on the field.

And it's incredible.

I've sat in virtually every angle of seat in the stadium including the end zones and the corners.

And they're all good seats.

I just know so many people that they would not for any reason misan Iowa football game.

They plan weddings around home games.

I know people who fly as far away as Arizona and Pennsylvania that fly in.

They live there and they fly in for every Iowa home game.

>> Join together in sending our support and encouragement to the kids and their families watching today.

>> For a stadium rooted in a century of Hawkeye tradition there is still room for a new celebration.

In 2017 the Iowa Hawkeyes began a new ritual at the end of every first quarter.

Fans, players, and coaches turned to the newly built university of Iowa children's hospital overlooking the stadium and waved to the families above.

A sign that even the oldest traditions can evolve and grow buildings.

Kinnick stadium.

In Iowa's first capital city, this collection of structures tell a story dating back more than a century.

From a stately building overlooking the university of Iowa campus the old capital remains the symbol of this college town.

To a modern performing arts venue, Hancher auditorium remains a show case for the arts.

A legendary theater rebuilt for the modern age Englert theater is updated for the next generation in downtown Iowa city.

To the legendary brick facade of Kinnick stadium where fans, players, and coaches honor the past and enjoy the current generation of Hawkeye football.

These Iowa city structures combined for an unparalleled tour of awe inspiring architecture and make up the latest chapter of historic buildings of Iowa.

♪♪ ♪♪ >> Funding for historic buildings of Iowa Iowa city is provided by friends, the Iowa PBS foundation.

As well as generations of families and friends who feel passionate about the programs they watch on Iowa PBS.

And by OPN architects.

>> There's always a discovery period and whether that is really trying to find the documentation of the original building or doing your investigation every building has a story and there is always a surprise.

[ Applause ] >> Historic buildings of Iowa, Iowa city.

I am here with the executive producer of the program.

This is the kind of program, this documentary, really is what Iowa PBS is about.

It's part of our mission bringing the people and the stories and the places of Iowa to you in a way that nobody else really does.

You have hundreds and hundreds of programming options right now and you are choosing Iowa PBS because it is unique, different, special, and it is Iowa of it is the people right here in our own back yard that nobody else is highlighting and explaining and uncovering and introducing you to in the way that we do.

This is just one example of many, Andrew.

>> Right.

>> That throughout the year, different kinds of programs like these that really celebrate Iowa.

If you value that we'd love to hear from you right now at 800-779-7000.

We have great thank you gifts we'll run through in a moment.

We want to highlight our bus trip which is coming up this summer July 22nd.

This is going to give you the opportunity to go to Iowa city, travel around on the bus for the day, and visit all of the venues you just saw as part of this historic buildings of Iowa program.

So you'll go to the Englert, Hancher, Kinnick, museum of natural history and the old Capitol on the university of Iowa campus.

>> And get lunch.

>> And lunch.

What could be better than that.

I tell you you're going to work up an appetite over the course of the day.

$120 one time gift, $10 ongoing monthly when you become a sustaining member and you get one ticket to that bus trip.

You probably want to bring a friend, too.

You might want a couple tickets when you call.

>> A great idea.

>> This is the kind of -- we've been saying over and over this is the kind of program Iowa PBS does.

Really can't emphasize enough that nobody else is going to go out and at least nobody with the network that we have of statewide coverage and produce a documentary like this.

>> Right.

This isn't just one person that works on the program like this.

It takes a team.

A very talented team.

Videographers, some of those running cameras tonight with names like Darren and Phil and Eric.

These are the people that we take on the road with us and it takes time.

To get into these venues, sit down and do in depth interviews with the people that tell these stories.

We are the place that brings those stories to you.

You know, some of the videography that we did at Kinnick stadium, many people have watched a game there.

You probably haven't seen the stadium from this perspective.

We tried to give you those different perspectives but place it in its history.

These buildings are stories.

They're stories of history, stories of people that came before us.

And the fabric of our state.

That is what Iowa PBS does best as Travis mentioned.

We want to keep telling these stories.

We were able to do this program because viewers like you supported us in the past.

We want to tell more stories.

>> Absolutely.

And I suspect we probably will.

But we need to hear from you right now.

800-779-7000.

Call, go online, scan the QR code.

Whatever is easiest for you and make that investment in this kind of programming here on Iowa PBS.

We have other thank you gifts.

Bill Riley is with us tonight.

What else do we have?

>> We have some wonderful thank you gifts for your pledge tonight.

Call in and help us with Iowa PBS and enjoy.

I know you're enjoying this wonderful program.

It is spectacular.

I've been in Iowa city often.

I mentioned the Englert theater.

I'm a big music fan.

It is a premier venue.

Kinnick, the museum, all of this coming together tonight.

Only Iowa PBS is going to show you a show like this at this quality and as Andrew was saying going in depth.

It's just an amazing opportunity for you to support Iowa PBS and keep this kind of programming coming your way.

So at the $60 level this incredibly fun coffee mug.

$60 one time gift.

Or the month to month at $5.

The sustainer level gets you this wonderful coffee mug.

Good way to start off your morning with a hot cup of coffee.

Also with that same gift level you have this wonderful, wonderful paperback of old postcard shots and this is really fun.

You can sit down and spend an hour or so perusing through this.

I would say it is almost a coffee table book.

It certainly is something to have around the house.

So when neighbors come by, friends and neighbors, they can see it as well.

And you can explain to them that you support Iowa PBS and that's how you get people rolling in the same direction we're rolling.

We want to keep Iowa PBS rolling along.

Same pledge level.

$60 one time gift or at $5 per month.

Then we go to the DVD and blue ray or blue ray disc option.

Whichever.

At the $72 level or the $6 per month sustainer level.

And again as I mentioned at the last break this program is worth having in your video catalog.

Again, friends come back.

You can toss this in.

And this is a wonderful, wonderful trip through some of the finest points of Iowa city and what a great community in this wonderful state of Iowa Iowa city is.

And that special relationship that the children's hospital has with the football, it's become a national topic tan's just breathtaking when that happens.

So your chance to have a copy of this on the DVD or the blue ray.

Now, my suggestion is that you just go all in and get all of it.

We do have the combo.

I want to mention the bus trip that Travis was talking about.

Remember, this starts in Iowa city and ends in Iowa city.

It does include lunch.

And I'm assuming you won't be riding on a campus bus.

I think it is probably a pretty nice, comfortable bus trip.

$120 one time or $10 a month to month at the sustainer level and a great idea Travis had.

Get a couple tickets.

Maybe four.

Grab some friends and go.

I think it would be a heck of a trip and a lot of fun.

As I mentioned the combo you can get it all for $300 one time gift or $25 month to month.

That is what I suggest.

Great way to back Iowa PBS and great way to see all of this, the blue ray, DVD, bus trip, coffee mug, and of course the postcard book.

If my good friend Cameron might jump in.

I want to emphasize the puzzle.

One time only during this program get the puzzle.

$25 in addition to your pledge.

Okay?

It is a wonderful way, the state fair puzzle.

It is a great shot.

I mean, it is a beautiful picture.

It has the Ferris wheel, YE old mill is in it, the sky glider, the grandstand.

All the highlights of the great Iowa state fair.

So that is yours for an additional $25 when you make one of the pledges we mentioned before.

Again, only during tonight's program.

So call in and get that puzzle on top of your pledge.

Thank you so much.

800-779-7000.

Give us a call.

Our volunteers are waiting to hear from you.

Let's go back and talk to Andrew and Travis.

>> Less than a couple minutes, Bill that puzzle will be not available as part of this program.

Andrew, we've explored Des Moines.

We've explored historic building in Cedar rapids.

>> Yes.

>> We've now gone to Iowa city.

>> Right.

>> Are there other historic buildings in Iowa?

>> That's a leading question, Travis.

You already know the answer.

Yes, there are.

As a viewer you know there are historic building in every city or town in this state.

We're excited about our next step in the series.

We're going to one of our oldest cities, Dubuque along the M is Miss river a town rich in history that dates back a long time in this state, beautiful churches, scenery, buildings of history and stories.

As we've said what Iowa PBS does best and your support is what is helping us go out there in the coming months and film that program and bring it to you.

>> That's right.

You have made a program as you just watched possible with your dollars of support in the past.

Now we want to hear from you to pay it forward and make sure that we can continue producing these kind of wonderful programs.

Bill, thank you.

Andrew thank you.

And thank you as well.

For your support.