John A. Green Estate
Encyclopedia
The John A. Green Estate (also known as the Green-Nissen Estate) is a historic property in Stone City
, Iowa
, United States
. The estate covers 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of land. The buildings were constructed of Anamosa Limestone
quarried from John Green's
own local business. The estate was placed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
On March 17, 1868, then a lonely spot in the wilderness, now the site of Stone City, Iowa
, John A. Green opened the Champion quarries. For nearly fifty years, the quarries produced steadily, amounting to more than 4.5 billion dollars in sales. 1896 records indicate 1,000 men were employed among the quarries, carving 160,000 loads of stone in a single year with a market value of 3.75 million dollars. In his most productive years (1869-1890s), John Green operated three quarries (known as “Champion 1,” “Champion 2,” and “John Allen”) using nearby Anamosa State Penitentiary
labor.
In 1883 Green built a three-story hotel
and opera house
complex on his estate known as Columbia Hall. It was made of 500,000 tons of stone. The theater offered some of the most well known entertainers of the day. Columbia Hall was purchased in the 1930s and torn down in 1938 to use the stone elsewhere.
In 1920 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of the Green Estate was purchased by Frank Nissen. During the summers of 1932 and 1933 the estate became the loaction of Stone City Art Colony
. In 1932, Grant Wood
, Edward Rowan, and Adrian Dornbush established the Colony. With little more than $100 and a number of promissory notes based on the success of the art colony they leased 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of land on the estate. The parcel of leased land included the Green Mansion, the Ice House and Water Tower. The upstairs portion of the mansion was converted into a dormitory. The rest of the house was used for business offices, kitchen, a sculpture studio and showers for the men. The basement of the ice house was made into a bar called The Sickle and Sheaf where instructor/student Dennis Burlingame tended bar. The upper portion of the water tower was converted into an apartment where Adrian Dornbush lived, called Adrian’s Tomb.
Stone City, Iowa
Stone City is an unincorporated community in Jones County, Iowa, United States. Stone City began as a company town for the workers of the local quarries. Stone City is known for its Anamosa Limestone quarries, historic limestone architecture, and 1930's art colony...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The estate covers 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of land. The buildings were constructed of Anamosa Limestone
Anamosa Limestone
Anamosa Limestone is a dolomitic limestone quarried out of Stone City, Iowa, which is located along the Wapsipinicon River about two miles west of Anamosa, Iowa. It is distinguished by its uniform texture, color, and banding, its durability and most of all by its distinct veining. This distinctive...
quarried from John Green's
John Aloysius Green
John Aloysius Green was born in the parish of Moore, County Roscommon, Ireland, 10 December 1844. His parents were John Green and Bridget Green. John A. Green came to Boston, Massachusetts, September 2, 1852, and attended the common schools. In 1860 he learned the monumental trade and worked at it...
own local business. The estate was placed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
History
Stone City, Iowa
Stone City is an unincorporated community in Jones County, Iowa, United States. Stone City began as a company town for the workers of the local quarries. Stone City is known for its Anamosa Limestone quarries, historic limestone architecture, and 1930's art colony...
, John A. Green opened the Champion quarries. For nearly fifty years, the quarries produced steadily, amounting to more than 4.5 billion dollars in sales. 1896 records indicate 1,000 men were employed among the quarries, carving 160,000 loads of stone in a single year with a market value of 3.75 million dollars. In his most productive years (1869-1890s), John Green operated three quarries (known as “Champion 1,” “Champion 2,” and “John Allen”) using nearby Anamosa State Penitentiary
Anamosa State Penitentiary
Anamosa State Penitentiary is a maximum security penitentiary prison for men. It is located in the Jones County community of Anamosa, Iowa - approximately northeast of Cedar Rapids, Iowa....
labor.
In 1883 Green built a three-story hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
and opera house
Opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...
complex on his estate known as Columbia Hall. It was made of 500,000 tons of stone. The theater offered some of the most well known entertainers of the day. Columbia Hall was purchased in the 1930s and torn down in 1938 to use the stone elsewhere.
In 1920 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of the Green Estate was purchased by Frank Nissen. During the summers of 1932 and 1933 the estate became the loaction of Stone City Art Colony
Stone City art colony
The Stone City Art Colony was an art colony founded by Edward Rowan, Adrian Dornbush, and Grant Wood. The colony gathered on the John A. Green Estate in Stone City, Iowa during the summers of 1932 and 1933.- History :...
. In 1932, Grant Wood
Grant Wood
Grant DeVolson Wood was an American painter, born four miles east of Anamosa, Iowa. He is best known for his paintings depicting the rural American Midwest, particularly the painting American Gothic, an iconic image of the 20th century.- Life and career :His family moved to Cedar Rapids after his...
, Edward Rowan, and Adrian Dornbush established the Colony. With little more than $100 and a number of promissory notes based on the success of the art colony they leased 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of land on the estate. The parcel of leased land included the Green Mansion, the Ice House and Water Tower. The upstairs portion of the mansion was converted into a dormitory. The rest of the house was used for business offices, kitchen, a sculpture studio and showers for the men. The basement of the ice house was made into a bar called The Sickle and Sheaf where instructor/student Dennis Burlingame tended bar. The upper portion of the water tower was converted into an apartment where Adrian Dornbush lived, called Adrian’s Tomb.
Buildings and Structures
- The Green Mansion was built in 1882 on a hill overlooking the city. The mansion had twenty rooms, seven Italian marble fireplaces, hand-painted murals, two baths, and a conservatory. In the early 1930s the Green family sold the estate to Frank Nissen. The Green mansion became the summer home of poet Paul EnglePaul EnglePaul Engle , noted American poet, editor, teacher, literary critic, novelist, and playwright. He is perhaps best remembered as the long-time director of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and as founder of the International Writing Program , both at the University of Iowa.-Life:Engle is often mistakenly...
, son-in-law of Frank Nissen. In 1963 the Green Mansion was damaged by fire and torn down in the 1990s.
- The Stone Barn was built in 1889 by John A. Green. The barn is 12000 square feet (1,114.8 m²) and stands 30 feet (9.1 m) high. There are a series of six buttresses along the length of the barn, each 3 foot (0.9144 m) wide at the base. The barn was originally built to house draft horses for John Green’s quarry business. The stables could hold up to 100 horses. The barn housed a blacksmithBlacksmithA blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
shop, a three story loftLoftA loft can be an upper story or attic in a building, directly under the roof. Alternatively, a loft apartment refers to large adaptable open space, often converted for residential use from some other use, often light industrial...
, and housing quarters for stable attendants. Locals of Stone City say that it took 80 men 80 days to build the stone barn. Today the barn is a private home and welcome refuge for visitors to Stone City.
- The Water Tower was built on a high point of the Green Estate. The tower served as the water source for the estate, which included John Green's limestone quarry business. In the summer of 1932, during Stone City Art ColonyStone City art colonyThe Stone City Art Colony was an art colony founded by Edward Rowan, Adrian Dornbush, and Grant Wood. The colony gathered on the John A. Green Estate in Stone City, Iowa during the summers of 1932 and 1933.- History :...
, the water tower was used as an apartment for art instructor Adrian Dornbush. Students at the colony referred to the water tower as Adrian's Tomb. In 2008 the water tower was purchased, remodeled, and made into a gift shop.