During a November 1989 historic preservation conference organized by Iowa State University and the Iowa Chapter of the Vicorian Society, discussions kept returning to the theme that the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) wasn't doing enough for preservation efforts in Iowa. The SHPO director responded to comments by explaining the political and financial constraints by which his office had to operate. He suggested that Iowa needed its own private, non-profit preservation group to help take care of these concerns. (Iowa was one of four states that did not have its own preservation advocacy group at the time.) Several members of the assembled audience volunteered both money and time to get such an organization started.
The Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance had its start. Volunteer staff wrote and filed Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws for the organization. A newsletter, begun in 1990, was sent to prospective members and a promotional brochure was developed. The official date of incorporation for the organization was June 1, 1991.
Several IHPA Board members wrote a successful grant and put on the well-received Railroad Conference in 1992, attended by railroad and depot restoration enthusiasts. IHPA worked during the 1990s as a planning partner with the State Historical Society of Iowa in putting on a statewide history conference (COHO, and then EXPO).
In 1995 IHPA was awarded an Iowa Community Cultural Grant (ICCG) to pay part-time staff. A staff person was hired in March 1995, and between 2001 and 2007, a series of executive directors served the IHPA. With paid staff, IHPA was able to begin several new programs as well as expand the content and frequency of the newsletter. Today, the newsletter is published quarterly.
With a strengthening of IHPA's relationship with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, IHPA agreed in 1996 to a contract with the Community Organization and Effectiveness Program. The process included community, board, and membership evaluation, as well as a series of strategic planning sessions. The results were a new mission statement and a three-year business plan. Although IHPA qualified for a challenge grant and acceptance into the Statewide Initiatives Program sponsored by the National Trust, we couldn't meet the matching financial goals of the grant.
Despite this setback, IHPA's fundraising goals over the years have been ambitious, and many program goals have been met and indeed exceeded. IHPA played a part in the Iowa legislature's decision to unanimously pass a state rehabilitation tax credit in 2000. The organization has also sponsored or hosted several statewide preservation and educational conferences, including The Changing Face of Religion: Its Impact on Church Buildings, Neighborhoods and Communities (1997), Preserving the Past: Providing for the Future (2000), and Restore-O-Rama (2005).
IHPA sponsors two high-profile public programs: Iowa’s Most Endangered Properties and Preservation at its Best Awards. Each has continued to expand and mature over the years.
IHPA also promotes several important preservation initiatives, including barns and country schools. The IHPA country school initiative encourages preservation of country schools in all corners of the state and holds a statewide country school conference each year. The barn initiative is working to preserve Iowa's agricultural heritage by inventorying barns in every county. And, beginning in 2008, IHPA is partnering with the State Historical Society of Iowa's SHPO on a statewide survey of Iowa's movie heritage, beginning with the Main Street movie theatres that we all know and love.