Longtime Czech heirloom, current Pagliai's Pizza home on doorstep of historic preservation

A nearly 150-year-old Czech-built property that now houses Pagliai's Pizza moved within a step of historic preservation Tuesday night.

The Iowa City City Council voted 6-1 during its regular meeting in favor of adding a historic overlay district to the property encompassing 302-316 East Bloomington Street. The property contains Pagliai’s, 16 apartments, and a laundromat.

Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague was the lone "no," which means just one more council vote will finalize the designation.

Teague previously voted in favor of the designation but has been hesitant throughout the process. On Tuesday, he said his concerns lay with "the answers (he has) received" in the past month.

"There's too many elements to it for me to feel comfortable," Teague said. "And I would not be genuine to myself and to what my representation of this community is if I sat here and just voted with it. I recognize it's... a hard decision to make, but that's why we have seven councilors that are different in their thought processes."

Councilors, led by Mayor pro tem Mazahir Salih, also again expressed interest in providing additional assistance to historic property owners through future council action.

The third and final consideration — which, if approved, will officially finalize and implement the Bloomington property's historic designation — is expected to come at the council's next meeting on Tuesday, May 21.

Two "no" votes halt the designation.

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Owner has argued designation will harm him financially

The nearly 150-year-old building at 302 E. Bloomington Street 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. The adjacent laundromat was initially a horse stable. The building's interior was renovated through the years into an apartment-type building.

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

In October 2023, building owner Gary Skarda listed the Bloomington Street property for sale with a $5 million price tag. Skarda is a fifth-generation descendant of the original constructors, the Slezak family.

During an early April council meeting, Skarda said he was selling because he could no longer keep up with the building at his age and because his health had declined.

He emphasized that selling the building for a "fair price" would likely require him to sell it to a developer. The city was already in the process of working to designate the building and continued to move forward.

A historic preservation designation means the property would fall under a protective rezoning, which requires property owners to consult the Historic Preservation Commission before making physical alterations.

Friends and family came to Skarda's side during two meetings in April. He asked the city to halt the designation because it would harm him financially, limiting his ability to repair the building or sell the building.

“There is no reason to inhibit growth of this community based on a building that takes a lot of maintenance,” Skarda said.

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Small community push continues

Several community members have tried to sway the council's decision, donning  "Save Pagliai's" stickers and voicing their support for historic preservation.

Some of the supporters reminisced about their positive memories at the pizza parlor that has been around for more than five decades.

"People enjoy being in these places," Iowa City resident Belinda Bates said. "People might not realize it at the time... but what happens over time is that the value of the building is recognized and it becomes a magnet, really. The more buildings that can be preserved, the more the character of the town can be preserved."

Bates lived in Philadelphia's historic district and admired the gravity historic landmarks and buildings provide. She feels that many Midwestern towns struggle because they are "homogenous" in their design and construction.

"This is really one chance that Iowa City has to preserve its character," Bates said. "And at the same time, for those of you who are the hard-headed, financial types, (it's an opportunity) to grow Iowa City's economic base."

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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: Council nears historic preservation designation for Pagliai's Pizza building