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Top Attractions in Decorah

Painter-Bernatz Mill

Painter-Bernatz Mill, also known as the Old Stone Mill, is a historic building located in Decorah, Iowa, United States. The original part of the mill was constructed by William Painter in 1851, and it was expanded to its present size in the next year or two. A mill race was constructed from a dam on the Upper Iowa River, and it was routed beneath the building to power the turbine. It was the first of at least 15 mills that used this river as its source of power. The lower two floors are composed of native limestone. The original hip roof was removed sometime between 1874 and 1890 and the present gable roof was built giving the mill a large loft. Diesel power replaced water power in 1947. The building continued to operate as a mill until 1964. It became a part of the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in 1971, and houses exhibits on agriculture and industry. It is also a site in the Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area. The former mill is the oldest building in Decorah. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

Burr Oak House/Masters Hotel

The Burr Oak House/Masters Hotel, also known as the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum and Park, is a historic building located in Burr Oak, Iowa, United States. The 1½-story frame structure was built in 1856, and features a full width front porch and a raised basement. Its significance is derived from three elements of its history. First, it is one of the few pre-1860 buildings that was built specifically as a hotel that remains in Iowa. Second, it served as a hotel in a small Iowa town for a significant period of time, enduring changing economic times and tastes. The hotel started as a log structure that was built in 1851, and after this building was built five years later, remained in business until 1878 with different owners and names. At that time it became a dry goods and general store, and served that purpose into the early 1890s when Dr. W.H. Emmons used it as a residence and office. Around 1896 a two-story addition, no longer extant, was built onto the south side and it was made exclusively into a house. The third significant element of the former hotel is its association with author Laura Ingalls Wilder, who lived here as a child from 1876 to 1877. It is the only known extant building occupied by the Ingalls' family in Burr Oak. Her father Charles ran the hotel, and worked in a saw mill. The family moved into the grocery store next door, before leaving town in 1878. The building was in a dilapidated state when it was bought in 1973 by Laura Ingalls Wilder Park, Inc. They restored the building and turned it into a museum. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Cooley-Whitney House

The Cooley-Whitney House is a historic residence located in Decorah, Iowa, United States. The significance of this house is its architectural combination of the Italianate and Neoclassical styles, and its association with two prominent Decorah bankers. It was designed by local architect H.O. Ball, and built in 1867 by Wilson, Robertson & Company, a local contractor. The two-story brick house features bracketed eaves, a wooden cornice, and a wrap-around bracketed porch. It was built for E.E. Cooley, an attorney who helped establish the First National Bank of Decorah. He was also involved with local politics. After his death in 1895, the house became the home of Lewis B. Whitney. He was the former Winneshiek County Treasurer who was one of the organizers of the National Bank of Decorah. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It has been converted into a bed and breakfast.

Steyer Opera House

Steyer Opera House is a historic building located in Decorah, Iowa, United States. The three-story, brick commercial block was designed by F.G. Brant of Dubuque. Its original owner and namesake was Joseph Steyer, who emigrated from Luxembourg in 1852 and settled in Decorah in 1865. The building was built in 1870 and an additional three bays were added to the east side in 1875. The first floor houses retail space, the second floor historically housed apartments, and the auditorium is on the third floor. The walls and ceiling are covered with tin that is pressed in a variety of decorative patterns. Doorways flank the proscenium. They are framed by paneled pilasters and capped with a broad architrave. The balcony that rings the main floor on three sides of the auditorium was part of the 1875 renovation of the building. It is now part of the neighboring Hotel Winneshiek. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Center for Faith and Life

The Center for Faith and Life is an auditorium located on the campus of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. Having opened in 1977, the auditorium is used primarily for music performances, including most on-campus performances by the Luther Music Department's student ensembles. The nationally-televised "Christmas At Luther" concerts are held each year at the venue. Campus ministry & daily chapel services, plus Sunday chapel services, are also located at the Center for Faith and Life. Capacity stands at 1,428, with flexibility for overlow seating. Seating closest to the stage is located on a thrust stage, which can be raised to create additional stage area. A full-size organ is featured in the balcony to the right of the stage The Center for Faith and Life was conceived in the 1970s. Luther's previous venue for performance, the C.K. Preus Gymnasium (which also was home to indoor Luther athletics, plus other student activities), was destroyed by fire in 1961. Music ensemble performances had taken place in other locations on-campus and in Decorah, settling in The Fieldhouse upon its completion in 1964. The design process for the Center for Faith and Life began in the early 1970s, with initial plans calling for 2,500 seats, plus classrooms & faculty offices. The scope was later scaled back to its present design of approximately 1,500 seats plus limited office space. The final design was presented in February, 1974, and groundbreaking occurred on March 24, 1975, on the former site of the Preus Gymnasium. The Center for Faith and Life was dedicated on October 16, 1977, though additional construction continued through 1978. In addition to housing the "Christmas At Luther" concerts held annually since 1981, many nationally- & internationally-renowned figures have delivered lectures at the Center for Faith and Life, and the venue has also hosted concerts from American & international artists through its Center Stage Series. On February 6, 1996, the Center for Faith and Life was the venue for the recording of "Live at Luther College" by Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds.

Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway Combination Depot

The Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway Combination Depot is a historic building located in Decorah, Iowa, United States. After the Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, later the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, choose a different route for their north-south mainline, community leaders convinced them to build a spur to Decorah. This would open the town to larger markets to ship the products produced there. The tracks were completed in 1869, and a boxcar served as the first depot. That same year this single-story, wood frame structure with Greek Revival features was completed south of the central business district. It served as a combination depot, servicing both passengers and freight. After the arrival of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad in 1884 the Milwaukee Road started to plan a new passenger depot in Decorah. It was completed on the east end of the main commercial street in 1888. When it opened, this building continued to serve as a freight depot. Over the years its platforms were shortened, and sometime between the 1930s and the 1950s, the southwest end of the building was shortened. The Milwaukee Road abandoned the depot in 1971, and the tracks that flanked the building were removed the same year. The former depot itself was renovated for non-railroad use. This is believed to be a rare extant example of a wooden combination depot in Iowa. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
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