Iowa City's 150-year-old Pagliai's Pizza building a step closer to historic landmark status

The building that houses Pagliai’s Pizza is nearing historic landmark designation.

The Iowa City City Council Tuesday, April 16, unanimously passed a first consideration to add a historic overlay district to the property encompassing 302-316 East Bloomington Street, which contains Pagliai’s, 16 apartments, and a laundromat.

The council must approve the addition of an overlay district twice more before it is finalized.

The nearly 150-year-old building was constructed in 1875 by eastern European immigrant Josef Slazak, according to Our Iowa Heritage, a historical conservation site. The first floor was a dry goods market and the upstairs contained a dance hall.

Five generations later, the building is still owned by family descendants.

Pagliai’s Pizza opened in 1957 and rents space from building owner Gary Skarda, as does the laundromat.

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Building owner, family and friends dispute designation

Skarda, his daughter and friends opposed Tuesday's unanimous vote.

“If Pagliai’s wasn’t there, it wouldn’t be a point” to landmark the building, Skarda said during the April 17 council meeting.

Skarda put the East Bloomington building up for sale in October with an asking price of $5 million. Pagliai's has continued to operate throughout the sale process.

Gary Skarda said at the Iowa City City Council’s meeting on April 2 that selling the building to a developer would be his only option to get "a fair market price." He said a historic landmark designation would make the building "more difficult to sell."

A protective rezoning would require owners to consult the Historic Preservation Commission before making physical alterations.

Skarda’s daughter, Victoria, criticized the city for "its lack of respect” for her father’s objection. She also chastised others, saying the building's history matters to her and her family.

“Judging by everyone’s ‘Save Pagliai’s’ stickers, I believe that preserving this building has more to do with Pagliai’s occupying the downstairs area and less with the Bohemians who twirled around in the upstairs dance hall,” Victoria Skarda said.

A majority of the crowd inside the Iowa City City Hall donned the "Save Pagliai's" stickers during Tuesday's meeting. Others supported Skarda and said the city was "infringing on his rights" as a property owner. Multiple councilors later refuted the claim and said the city’s interest in the historic designation would "serve the public," referencing the local business owners who signed a letter of support.

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Supporters pack council chambers

Iowa City resident Puja Birla lives in a 150-year-old home. She compared an old building to an old grandma, joking that "both are demanding and can be difficult to maintain."

She said that doesn't mean "grandma should be thrown out or an old building demolished."

“Buildings and structures have soul and personality,” Birla said. “They are a record of our lives. They are part of our collective memory, our collective consciousness.”

She wondered how residents would react when a property that “has played such a huge role in the collective lives of our community” disappeared.

Crowdmember Lou Tassinary urged the council not to pick one "winner" but to strike a balance.

“If we want Iowa City to be something, we continue to do what Iowa City does best,” Tassinary said. “Balance private property, property rights, civil rights (and) public good.”

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Council moves closer to historic landmark distinction

Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague and Mayor pro tem Mazahir Salih were skeptical of certain aspects of the historic overlay zone for 302-316 East Bloomington Street but ultimately voted for the designation.

The pair voiced concern about whether historic preservation would allow future property owners to divide up the land. City staff was unsure if that had been done before or if it would be allowed under the new regulations.

Councilor Josh Moe, who has 15 years of experience as a preservation architect, supports the historical landmark designation. He mentioned a neighborhood “renaissance” he witnessed as a professional in Cincinnati as an example.

He said residents "loved" and "cared for" and fostered an older neighborhood, which he said became “a great place to live."

Moe said he used parts of that experience, his years of work in architect preservation, and his confidence in the future value of the East Bloomington property to guide his vote.

“I think it’s historic, I think it’s significant,” Moe said. “And I don’t think it limits the ability of someone to invest in this building and make it last another 150 or more years.”

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Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Pagliai's Pizza building gets first OK toward historic landmark status