On October 20th, the Historic Pella Trust held an awards evening for residents, homes and landmarks in the Dutch community.
There were five winners of the 2017 Historic Preservation Award: Robert and Robin Schulty; Brent and Kathy Martin; Daniel and Amy Roorda; Paul and Carol Weihe; and Kyle and Shalene Zylstra. There was also a single winner for the 2017 Historic Landmark Award given to the Mayor of Pella, Jim Mueller, for the Sunken Garnden’s Windmill.
The Schulty’s purchased the property at 1014 East 1st Street in 2015. The home was constructed in 1910 and is one of three homes honored that stand on East 1st Street.
The second home residing on East 1st Street is owned by the Martin’s at 1010. This home was purchased in 2010 but was constructed in 1915. The Martin’s added a useful addition to the back of the home.
Daniel and Amy Roorda purchased 1011 East 1st Street in 2014. Over the last three years, the Roorda’s had a complete renovation and restoration of the home. This abode will celebrate its 100th ‘birthday’ next year. The Roorda’s occupy the home next door, which is visible in the photo.
The fourth home resides at 314 Liberty Street, purchased in 2006 by Paul and Carol Weihe. The date of erection of the residence is estimated to be prior to 1900. At the time, this home resided catty-corner to East Market Park.
Finally, the last home is one of the most viewed homes as it lies just off of Highway-163. Kyle and Shalene Zylstra purchased the home in 2007, though it has been in the family for many, many years. Though this home is a piece of Dutch history, it lies inside the Mahaska County limits. Iowa became a state in 1846, fourteen years later in 1860, this home was constructed. Shalene noted that when the home was purchased, “there was a hole in the roof and raccoons living in the crawl space.” Both Shalene and Kyle were in agreement that maybe it would have been better to just bulldoze the property. However, they stuck it out, restored the property and even added a more modern addition to the rear of the building to hold their growing family.
The last award for the evening was handed to Mayor Jim Mueller to recognize the Sunken Garden’s Windmill as a Historic Landmark within the city of Pella. The iconic Dutch windmill is celebrating it’s 80th anniversary. And Mayor Mueller spoke of restoration the city could do to enhance the longevity of the windmill. Mueller noted adding a metal roof, updating the windows and ensuring the structure of the base of the windmill will be necessary for the livelihood as well as modernizing the Dutch landmark.
