Hotel Lester-Lester Cafe

United States historic place

Hotel Lester-Lester Cafe

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

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Location| 408-410 2nd St., NW.
Mason City, Iowa
Coordinates| 43°09′13.6″N 93°12′28.3″W﻿ / ﻿43.153778°N 93.207861°W﻿ / 43.153778; -93.207861
Area| less than one acre
Built| 1915
Architectural style| Early Commercial
NRHP reference No.| 02001543[1]
Added to NRHP| December 20, 2002

Hotel Lester-Lester Cafe, also known as the Dodge House-Long Branch, is a historic building located in Mason City, Iowa, United States. Its construction, completed in 1915, was a project undertaken by local real estate developer Meir Wolf. It was built as a two-story building a block away from the passenger and freight depots of the Chicago and North Western Railroad and the Chicago Great Western Railway. The building was meant to be used as a railroad hotel so passengers and rail employees would not have to travel the six to eight blocks to the hotels downtown. It is the only remaining railroad hotel left in Mason City.[2] Hotel guests stayed in the 29 rooms on the second floor, and three commercial spaces on the first floor were occupied by a variety of restaurants, grocery stores and barbershops. Its most famous guest was track star Jesse Owens, who was in town in December 1937 for a basketball exhibition. He could not stay at the other hotels in town because of his race.[2] In 1975 the hotel's name was changed to the Dodge House and the Long Branch Saloon occupied the space that had previously housed a cafe. By that time it was largely used as a rooming house, and it was used to house the homeless.[3] The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.[1]

An arsonist set fire to the building on September 6, 2006, and did significant damage to the structure. It had been vacant for five years at that time.[3] In 2007 it was decided to remove the second floor and to convert the first floor into four apartments.[4]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. ^ a b Beth Enright. "Hotel Lester-Lester Cafe". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-12-08. with photos
3. ^ a b Mary Pieper (September 7, 2006). "Dodge House linked to Mason City's railroad history". Globe Gazette. Mason City. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
4. ^ John Skipper (August 1, 2007). "Long Branch being restored as apartments". Globe Gazette. Mason City. Retrieved 2016-12-08.

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U.S. National Register of Historic Places

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National Register of Historic Places in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa

Clear Lake|

* Elks-Rogers Hotel
* John L. Etzel House
* Rogers-Knutson House
* Surf Ballroom

Mason City|

* A.J. Andrus Duplex
* Amaziah and Cornelia (Wait) Cannon House
* City National Bank Building
* East Park Band Shell
* East Park Historic District
* William C. and Margaret Egloff House
* Elmwood-St. Joseph Municipal Cemetery Historic District
* First Church of Christ, Scientist
* First National Bank of Mason City
* Forest Park Historic District
* C.F. Franke House
* E.R. Gibson House
* Hotel Lester-Lester Cafe
* Jewell Apartments
* Keerl-Decker House
* The Kirk
* Lippert House
* Mason City Downtown Historic District
* Mason City Engine House No. 2
* Mason City Public Library
* Mason City YMCA
* MBA (Modern Brotherhood of America) Building
* F.M. Norris House
* Park Inn Hotel
* Parker's Opera House
* Parker's Woods Park Historic District
* Rock Crest – Rock Glen Historic District
* George Romey House
* Duncan Rule House
* Chris Rye House
* St. John Baptist Church
* Charles Seney House
* C.P. Shipley House
* State Street Bridge
* Stewart Avenue Bridge
* Dr. G.C. Stockman House
* Wagner-Mozart Music Hall
* Winnebago River Bridge
* Mier Wolf House
* Curtis Yelland House
* Tessa Youngblood House

Rock Falls|

* Rock Falls Bridge

See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa and List of National Historic Landmarks in Iowa

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