The historic brick building that houses Pagliai’s Pizza, an iconic pizza restaurant operating in Iowa City since 1962, is up for sale and the city wants to preserve its legacy.
At its April 2 meeting, the Iowa City Council held a public hearing to discuss adding a historic district overlay zone to 302 and 316 E. Bloomington St., which is currently zoned central business service.
The building, and the adjacent laundromat, are owned by Gary Skarda, who said the building has been in his family for five generations. He said between his health and maintenance issues with the building, it’s become necessary to sell.
The 146-year-old building is listed with Re/Max for $5 million, and Mr. Skarda said he’s been in contact with interested developers.
“There’s no reason why I can’t have a developer come in to put condos in. They can get three or four bedroom condominiums, it’s certainly doable,” he said. “There’s no reason to inhibit growth of this community based on a building that takes a lot of maintenance.
“It’s private property,” he continued. “It doesn’t belong to the city, it belongs to me and certainly my family. For the city to come along and say – or the Historic Preservation Committee – to say that I cannot do anything with my property because it’s historic, is a joke, to be honest with you.”
Mr. Skarda said the sale is inhibited by the looming decision over historic designation.
“It’s private property, and I should be able to do what I want to do with the property,” he said.
The city received several letters supporting historic landmark designation for the building, and multiple individuals at the council meeting expressed the importance of maintaining the character and history of the area, which was home to many Bohemian immigrants.
Willy Oxley, architectural woodworker, said his job is to repair and restore old homes, said it makes more sense to preserve and maintain what’s already there, as opposed to demolishing and reconstructing.
“The nature of these buildings is incredibly intricate and beautiful,” he said. “It’s considerably more environmental (friendly) than new construction buildings often are…you’re releasing tons of dust, paint and debris, and burning thousands of gallons of diesel fuel (with demolition).These buildings were designed to be repaired, and repair is something that we don’t think about anymore.”
Mayor Bruce Teague suggested the council have a consultation with the Planning and Zoning department, and the council unanimously voted to defer a decision until the next meeting April 16.
