Waggoner and Waggoner Local Work
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The architectural firm of Waggoner and Waggoner, along with its predecessors and successors, have conducted a wide variety of work in and around Mason City. This work includes:
Commercial and Office Architecture
Waggoner and Waggoner’s commercial and office architecture feature a theme of modernization, with the Globe Gazette Newspaper building being a much-needed upgrade from the outdated spaces and equipment in the newspaper company’s previous building. The Mutual Federal Savings and Loan building, built in a modern style breathed new life into downtown Mason City as part of a broader plan to revitalize the downtown. Elements that are found in much of the firms work such as the use of stone, concrete, brick, and repeating windows are featured in Waggoner and Waggoner’s commercial and office buildings.
Residential Architecture
No particular architectural style is found consistently throughout the firm’s residential projects. Tudor Revival, Colonial Revival, a ranch, and other architectural styles can all be found among the firm’s residential architecture. Some of these houses incorporate stone and brick, construction materials that can be found throughout much of the firm’s architecture. However, no specific theme unites the residential buildings. Instead, the residential buildings show a shift over time, with the use of more established styles in the 1940s changing to the employment of contemporary designs in the 1960s and 70s.
Institutional, Educational, and Religious Architecture
The firm’s institutional, educational, and religious architecture varies in style, but shows a unity of features such as the use of local brick, stone, and concrete, and the use of modern architectural techniques. The firm only constructed a small number of institutional buildings, but they incorporated modern techniques, becoming the first firm in northern Iowa to pour concrete floors on the ground level and then place the entire slab of concrete on top of structural supports to create the different floors of McAuly Hall at Mercy Hospital. The firm constructed a larger number of educational structures which feature common themes such as repeating window bays, horizontal lines, and the use of local materials. Meanwhile, their religious architecture features a combination of established styles for religious structures with modern architectural techniques such as open interiors or a more modernized spire design. The use of brick, stone, and slate roofs in their religious architecture is consistent with design elements that are featured in much of the firm’s work.
The firm has also worked around the State of Iowa and in a few select cities outside the state. Just one of their other significant projects is the Law School building at the University of Iowa. A number of their projects are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.