The East Park Band Shell is a historic structure located in

Mason City, Iowa Mason City is a city and the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 27,338 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Mason City is known for its musical heritage, a significant ...

, United States. The band shell was individually listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2009. In 2014 it was included as a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...

in the East Park Historic District.

History

The city acquired the first for East Park in 1909. F.E. Pease designed the park with its two entrances off of State Street, the curving drives, a small pond, tennis courts, and a music pavilion. The park has subsequently grown to include , and the city has added other amenities. In 1920 the Mason City Chamber of Commerce organized a municipal band made up of professional musicians from around the country to give a series of summer concerts. James M. Fulton from

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

was the conductor, and Mason City native

Meredith Willson Robert Reiniger Meredith Willson (May 18, 1902 – June 15, 1984) was an American flautist, composer, conductor, musical arranger, bandleader, playwright, and writer. He is perhaps best known for writing the book, music, and lyrics for the 1 ...

played the flute and piccolo. The band utilized a portable bandstand for their concerts until this one was dedicated on July 24, 1924. It was designed by a local draftsman named Lester Lewis. Its dedication in 1924 makes this structure, along with the W.D. Petersen Memorial Music Pavilion in

Davenport Davenport may refer to: Places Australia *Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality *Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia **Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta **District Council of Davenport, former local govern ...

(1924), the two oldest

band shell In theatre, a shell (also known as an acoustical shell, choral shell or bandshell) is a curved, hard surface designed to reflect sound towards an audience. Often shells are designed to be removable, either rolling away on wheels or lifting into ...

s in

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

. It was also among the first structures built in East Park. Concerts and other civic activities have been held here ever since. During the period of time that Carleton Stewart was the conductor (1937-1963) several changes were made to the band shell. An addition was built onto the rear, the front of the stage was extended to create an

apron An apron is a garment worn over other clothing to cover the front of the body to protect from liquids. They have several purposes, most commonly as a functional accessory that protects clothes and skin from stains and marks. However, other typ ...

, the vertical

board and batten A batten is most commonly a strip of solid material, historically wood but can also be of plastic, metal, or fiberglass. Battens are variously used in construction, sailing, and other fields. In the lighting industry, battens refer to linea ...

siding was added to the facade, and a

stone veneer Stone veneer is a thin layer of any stone used as decorative facing material that is not meant to be load bearing. Stone cladding is a stone veneer, or simulated stone, applied to a building or other structure made of a material other than stone. ...

was applied to the front of the apron. It is not known the exact year that these additions were made. Wilson was no longer in the municipal band when the band shell was dedicated. He is known to have been in it twice. The first time was on August 22, 1939, when he conducted the Municipal Band, during which they played his composition for the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

, ''Wings on High''. The second occasion was in June 1962 when

U.S. Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

C. Douglas Dillon presented him with the President's Gold Medallion for his promotion of the Bonds for Freedom.

References

Buildings and structures completed in 1924 Buildings and structures in Mason City, Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Iowa Amphitheaters in Iowa Music venues in Iowa Band shells {{Iowa-struct-stub