The Architectural and Historical Survey and Evaluation of the “West Hill” neighborhood conducted in 2005-2006 is part of a phased program to identify, evaluate, register, and protect the cultural resources of Muscatine by the Muscatine Historic Preservation Commission. The West Hill neighborhood was defined as the area along W. 2nd Street, W. 3rd Street, and W 4th Street roughly from Ash to Chestnut streets. The northeast (east) end of this boundary near Chestnut and Pine aligned with the southwest (west) boundary for the downtown commercial survey. Research was conducted to develop three historic contexts for Muscatine: 19th Century Residential and Neighborhood Development, 20th Century Residential and Neighborhood Development, and Cultural and Ethnic Diversity.  These historic contexts were utilized to evaluate the historic resources identified during the West Hill intensive survey. The final report is available for download here* and the recommendations section may be downloaded here* separately.  A map of the survey area and numbers is found here.*

A total of 204 properties built by 1960 in the West Hill neighborhood were surveyed as part of this project. Properties typically consisted of a house or the combination of a house and historic outbuildings. Overall, there are about 308 resources, including 202 historic residences, 1 commercial building, 1 park, and 103 garages and other outbuildings. Iowa Site Inventory forms were filled out for each property, including name, date, address, a narrative description, and a statement of significance. A photograph and map accompanies each site inventory form. Each property was evaluated for its potential individual eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places and for its potential to contribute to a West Hill historic district.The links to the survey forms with historical and architectural information for each property are found below.

Through this survey, the potential West Hill Historic District was identified, including 203 surveyed properties and 10 additional properties west of the survey boundaries within the original town boundary, at the end of W. 3rd Street, W. 4th Street, and Cherry Street. The links to these survey forms developed later in 2006 are also found below. One historic building (Fairbanks Home for Funerals, 114 W. 4th Street) included in the survey area was outside the recommended district boundary, but it appears individually eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. 

The Muscatine Historic Preservation Commission hired Rebecca Lawin McCarley, Architectural Historian with SPARK Consulting in Davenport, in 2005 to conduct the survey project. Several commission members and volunteers contributed significant time to research individual buildings and prepare draft survey forms under McCarley’s supervision, including Jay Brady, JoAnn Carlson, Daniel G. Clark, Diane Day, Jerry Lange, Jim Nepple, Maryrose Peterschmidt, Don Bain, Christine Conley, Ken Hagen, Jean Kerr, Mary Anne Kessler, Andrea Kreitner, John Peterschmidt, Von Peterson, Barb Sabbath, John Stevens, Kyle Thrapp, Ashley Tisue, and Robert Wilson. City staff member Jim Rudisill completed significant work for the project as well.