Posted: September 1, 2026 in City News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Decorah Historic Preservation Commission
Contact: Mark Z. Muggli, DHPC Chair (historicpreservation@decorahia.org; 612-720-5795)
Decorah Historic Preservation Commission Releases Two Brochures
Decorah, IA (August 26, 2026) – Color brochures focusing on “Architectural Styles in Decorah’s National Register” and “Decorah’s Historic Churches” are now available at the Decorah Chamber of Commerce and on the Historic Preservation Commission’s website.
The brochures were developed by the Decorah Historic Preservation Commission (DHPC), designed by Deb Paulson of Zelda Productions, and funded by the Depot Outlet.
DHPC chair Mark Z. Muggli commented, “We’re pleased that the public education brochures release coincides with the fiftieth anniversary of the Broadway-Phelps Park Historic District. The brochures are a testimony to the value of the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act, which established the National Register of Historic Places. We also appreciate Deb Paulson’s artistry, the Depot’s generosity, and the Chamber’s willingness to distribute the brochures.”
Architectural Styles in Decorah’s National Register
The Styles brochure identifies 78 Decorah buildings under 39 style categories. As the brochure says, the list “summarizes most major U.S. architectural styles chronologically, and, conversely, indicates the wide range of styles within Decorah’s National Register listings.”
Commission member Judy van der Linden noted that the brochure includes a few unusual categories and terms, but hopes that the brochure’s precision will help the public appreciate the specific details of the listed buildings.
“In describing Decorah, we often talk about our ‘historic heritage’” said van der Linden. “This brochure helps illustrate that the heritage relies upon particular features of distinctively different buildings. Our history includes seriousness and whimsey, elaboration and simplification, bold gestures and minor nuance.”
The brochure ranges from the earliest stone vernacular properties like the 1851 Vesterheim Painter Mill through contemporary styles like the downtown 2001 Running Sugar Bowl to the 2008 Luther College Sampson-Hoffland Laboratories.
Muggli said that National Register districts include both “contributing” and “non-contributing” buildings, and that buildings are often “non-contributing” because they are less than fifty years old.
“In order to convey the full range of our architectural heritage,” added Muggli, “we decided to include recent ‘non-contributing’ buildings in our brochure, even though they may not technically be considered ‘historic.’”
Luther College archivist and DHPC member Hayley Jackson noted that the brochure contains 18 Luther College properties. Said Jackson, “This brochure demonstrates the importance and range of the Luther buildings documented in the 2021 National Register listing of the Luther Campus co-submitted by DHPC and Luther. The campus is an important part of Decorah’s architectural history.”
Space limitations meant that the “Styles” brochure includes only 16 photographs. “Because some of us thought readers would find more photographs useful,” said DHPC member Kathy Buzza, “my husband Jim Buzza photographed all the properties. The photos are now available on the DHPC website.”
Historic Church Walking Tour
DHPC member Jenny Werner explained the origin of the “Churches” brochure. Said Werner, “In 2019 DHPC presented its annual historic preservation award to St. Benedict for its renovation and expansion of its historic building. In 2025 the award went to the five other Broadway churches for their impressive on-going building preservation. And then it occurred to us how unusual it was that the six most historic Decorah congregations have all remained within a few block section of our Broadway-Phelps Park Historic District.”
At the 2025 church award ceremony, individual DHPC members provided a brief history of the churches and their recent renovations. Those presentations became the foundation of the new brochure text.
The six church descriptions are accompanied in the brochure by 18 photos showing the exterior and interior of each of the buildings.
“Because a number of the churches are closed during the day, we were excited to be able to include both contemporary and historic photos of most of the interiors,” added Commissioner Adrienne Coffeen.
For on-line versions of the two brochures, see https://www.decorahia.org/commission-and-boards/historic-preservation/historic-tours.
The Decorah Historic Preservation Commission is a state-certified city board established in 2007 to promote the public’s educational and economic welfare through the recognition of historic sites. (Contact: historicpreservation@decorah.iowa.gov)
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