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Visitor Information Kiosks Now Available |
 Looking for a great place to eat or how about a unique place to visit or shop? These questions and more can be answered by using one of the four visitor information kiosks designed for the travelers visiting the Mason City area.
The Mason City Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) has launched four touch screen interactive information centers. The units have one goal - to help answer visitor questions. The kiosks feature easy-to-use touch screens allowing travelers to learn about the community, tourist attractions, places to do business and why the Mason City/Clear Lake area is such a great place to stay and play.
 The kiosks were designed with the visitors in mind and are located where the visitors frequent the most! The units are placed at the South Entrance of Southbridge Mall, visitor elevators at Mercy Medical Center--North Iowa, and the North Iowa Arena Concession Area at the North Iowa Fair Facility. The fourth kiosk is located in the Mason City Visitor Information Center, which is located at the Mason City CVB office located at 25 West State Street. The center is open 24 hours, seven days a week.
While in the community, we invite you to use these “virtual travel counseling” centers to discover the diversity the area has to offer. Plus each unit offers videos, printable coupons and text messaging coupons to help plan your stay. |
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Library Undergoing $9.2 million in Renovations |
 Visitors of all ages use the Mason City library to research family history, learn about the hidden treasures of the area and peruse the wonderful selection of reading materials. Soon – all will get to experience a revitalized building!
The Mason City Public Library building is currently undergoing $9.2 million in renovations. The project includes major revamping of the 68 year-old building’s Carnegie infrastructure and creating a new commons area. Construction on the building began in June 2009 and is scheduled to be complete by September 2010. The Library will move back into the renovated space during September 2010, and will then re-open in October 2010.
During construction, the Mason City Library will operate in the Mason City Room, just off of the existing library building. The following services are available in the temporary library: public access computers, wireless internet, Inter Library Loan services, books, DVDs, audio books and other library materials for loan.
The History/Archives Department and the Genealogy Department will be housed at Madison School, 2626 S. Jefferson Street, Mason City, Iowa. They are open by appointment only during the renovation of the Library building. To reach them please call History/Archives at (641) 430-4159 and Genealogy at (641) 430-4154. For any more information please call the Library at (641) 421-3668. |
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New
Architectural Interpretive Center To Be Completed
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 Looking
for Prairie School style designs by the famous Frank Lloyd
Wright, Walter Burley Griffin, William Drummond and
Francis Barry Byrne? Look no further than Mason City,
Iowa!
A new $822,000 facility to help visitors experience and understand
the significance of architecture in Mason City and to tell
the story of the Frank Lloyd Wright Stockman House is underway.
This new facility, the Architectural Interpretive Center,
will complement the existing Frank Lloyd Wright residential
home which incorporated a clever and strong separation of
public and private areas in a dwelling, and sought to include
the exterior environment in both the exterior and interior
of the living space.
Preliminary plans for the Interpretive Center are inspired
by a design by Walter Burley Griffin that was never built,
featuring two interlocking squares. The center will
be located adjacent to the Frank Lloyd Wright Stockman House
and lie just to the north of the Rock Crest/Rock Glen National
Historic District. This district is the largest collection
of Prairie School designed homes on a unified site. The project is slated to be completed in June, 2010.
Currently, Wright and Prairie School architecture enthusiasts
can tour a residential home, enjoy a Prairie School Architectural
Slide Show and Architectural Walking Tour.
Learn more by reading about Frank Lloyd Wright and the Mason City's Prairie School Architecture.
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Only
Remaining Frank Lloyd Wright Hotel
in the World Currently Under Restoration! |
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Frank
Lloyd Wright designed six hotels in his lifetime.
Only one is left - the Historic Park Inn located in downtown Mason
City, Iowa. A local group of energetic volunteers
are in the process of restoring the facility. The
project vision is to create a four star boutique hotel with
all of the modern day amenities. The $18.5 million dollar project is slated to
be completed in the spring of 2011.
Plans call
for a large restaurant-lounge area on the first floor
and a skylight room for banquets and receptions, featuring
an immense stained-glass skylight by Frank Lloyd Wright.
The second floor would include a reception room, a ladies
parlor, conference rooms and media room. There will be 28 guests rooms in the Historic Park Inn Hotel and City National Bank
Building. The bank building is next to the hotel and also designed by Wright. The hotel
rooms have been enlarged beyond Wright’s original
design to make them desirable for today's travelers. An
elevator will also be built to serve the hotel and bank
building.
 Downtown Mason City will again be blessed with the richness
of a functioning hotel designed by one of the world's most
famed architects. To actually stay in a Frank Lloyd Wright
designed facility will be a rare and memorable experience
and a great addition to the existing Wright attractions
in Mason City.
For more information regarding this restoration project
visit www.wrightonthepark.org.
Also, learn more by reading about Frank Lloyd Wright and Mason City's Prairie School Architecture.
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