Bedford Commercial Historic District

Bedford Commercial Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Location	200-500 blocks of Main St., the 500 and 600 blocks of Court, and the 500 block of Central, Bedford, Iowa
Coordinates	40°40′01″N 94°43′07″W / 40.66694°N 94.71861°WCoordinates: 40°40′01″N 94°43′07″W / 40.66694°N 94.71861°W
Area	11 acres (4.5 ha)
MPS	Iowa's Main Street Commercial Architecture MPS
NRHP Reference #	02001032[1]
Added to NRHP	September 12, 2002

The Bedford Commercial Historic District encompasses most of the central business district of Bedford, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.^[1] The historic district includes 50 properties that were part of a 1989 survey of the area. It includes, as contributing properties, 47 buildings and four structures. There are also three buildings that are non-contributing.^[2] Bedford House/Garland Hotel (1857, 1877) is a contributing property.

The downtown area originally developed at the intersection of Court and Main Streets, oriented towards the Taylor County Courthouse. After the railroad arrived it started to develop along Main Street, which slopes gradually to the east where the railroad was located. "The Bedford Commercial Historic District is one of the best-preserved collections of brick commercial architecture dating primarily from the late nineteenth century and is a standout, in that regard, in comparison with similar communities in age and size in Iowa."^[2]

References

1. Staff (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
2. Leah D. Rogers and Lori Vermaas. "Bedford Commercial Historic District" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-02-02.