Cedar Falls Community Foundation Grants $50,000 to Historical Society Expansion Project

April 6, 2017

The Cedar Falls Community Foundation has granted $50,000 from the Cedar Falls Community
Foundation Ella Rownd Trust to the Cedar Falls Historical Society.

The Cedar Falls Historical Society received the multi-year pledge of $50,000 toward their capital
project to create a facility that will serve as both an educational center for hands-on learning and a
curatorial center for artifact preservation. The Historical Society has purchased the building at 315 Clay
Street, in close proximity to their historic museums, and is developing plans to renovate the existing space
and construct an addition. The main floor will feature a 2,550 square-foot education center with a large
classroom, kitchen, ample restrooms, office space and a workroom for preparing materials. The lower level
will provide an additional 2,550 square-feet for high-density collections storage on artifact-specific shelving
as well as space for exhibition preparation and for sorting, cataloging, classifying, and conserving the
collection. The addition will provide a 2,000 square-foot permanent gallery for displaying the largest items
in the collection, which have been in off-site storage since they were displaced by the 2008 flooding of the
Ice House Museum. It will also allow for an additional 2,000 square feet in the lower level to accommodate
future growth. The building’s grounds will include a terrace area for outdoor educational activities and a
parking lot to increase visitor access to both the new building and the Victorian Home & Carriage House
Museum.

Cynthia Sweet, Executive Director of the Cedar Falls Community Foundation said, “The Cedar
Falls Community Foundation appreciates the opportunity to support and thank the Cedar Falls Historical
Society for the important work they do. The Cedar Falls Historical Society is the only organization that
collects and preserves the historical fabric of our community, an important and worthy role on its own. But
in addition to their stewardship role, we see the Cedar Falls Historical Society contributing to educational
programs in the public schools, offering community programs for all ages, and partnering with many other
Cedar Falls organizations to enhance the overall quality of life we enjoy in Cedar Falls. The Historical
Society serves all citizens of Cedar Falls – preserving the history and identity of Cedar Falls, attracting
visitors and tourism revenue to Cedar Falls, providing family friendly activities, providing recreational
opportunities, and modeling community partnerships. The Cedar Falls Community Foundation is honored
to be able to support their expansion project.”

The Cedar Falls Community Foundation will next accept applications to the Rownd Trust in
December 2017. The Rownd Trust was established in 1967 under the Will of Ella C. Rownd as a memorial
to herself, her husband, C.A. Rownd, and their son, Fred Rownd. The Rownd Trust has granted over
$850,000 to community projects since 1972.

The Cedar Falls Community Foundation accepts and manages estate gifts and donations to fulfill
donor wishes, assisting donors to achieve their charitable legacy. The Cedar Falls Community
Foundation’s mission to use the resources entrusted to its stewardship to support projects that enhance the
community’s quality of life through cultural, scholarly, recreational, literary and artistic endeavors. For more
information about the Cedar Falls Community Foundation, please visit www.cf-communityfoundation.org or
contact 319.243.9170 or email: cfcf@cfu.net.