Overview of Historic District
The Adel Public Square Historic District contains approximately four blocks in downtown Adel centered around the Dallas County Courthouse. The National Park Service listed the district on The National Register of Historic Places in 2009. The first picture below shows a photo of Adel’s main street from the East. The middle picture shows the Adel square on the West and the final picture shows Adel from the South side.
The National Park defines a contributing building or structure as adding to the historic associations, historic architectural qualities, or archeological values for which a property is significant. As illustrated on the map below, the district contains 35 contributing buildings and one contributing structure. Criteria includes
Being present during the period of significance, relates to the documented significance of the property, and possesses historic integrity or is capable of yielding important information about the period
OR
Independently meeting the National Register criteria below:
Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history.
Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past.
Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction.
Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.
Building History
Adel conducted extensive research into the history of each of the buildings in the historic square district as part of our our application to be on the National Registry. Click the button below to explore this research, which includes a brief narrative of every property, its architectural significance, and the many ways each building has been used over time.
For example, on page 23 you’ll discover that the Boak Building at 823 Main Street served as a filming location for The Bridges of Madison County, becoming known as the shop where Francesca purchased her dress. On page 41, you can read about another historic clothing store called Williams Clothing —pictured here—and read about how the building was previously Adel State bank and part of the famous bank robbery.
Together, these stories highlight how the district’s storefronts have long supported local business while also playing a role in the broader cultural history of the community.
