Decorah Historic Preservation Commission Releases Two Brochures

News is better when it's close to home. Support your local newsroom. DECORAH — Two new brochures highlighting Decorah's architectural and religious history are now available at the Decorah Chamber of Commerce and on the Decorah Historic Preservation Commission's website. The brochures, "Architectural Styles in Decorah's National Register" and "Decorah's Historic Churches," were developed by the Decorah Historic Preservation Commission, or DHPC. Deb Paulson of Zelda Productions designed the brochures, which were funded by The Depot Outlet. DHPC Chair Mark Z. Muggli said the release coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Broadway-Phelps Park Historic District. "We're pleased that the public education brochures' release coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Broadway-Phelps Park Historic District," Muggli said. "The brochures are a testimony to the value of the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act, which established the National Register of Historic Places. We also appreciate Deb Paulson's artistry, The Depot's generosity and the Chamber's willingness to distribute the brochures." Architectural Styles in Decorah's National RegisterThe architectural styles brochure identifies 78 Decorah buildings representing 39 style categories. It summarizes major U.S. architectural styles chronologically while highlighting the range of styles represented among Decorah's National Register listings. Commission member Judy van der Linden said the brochure includes some unusual categories and terms but hopes the detailed classifications will help residents better appreciate the individual features of the city's historic buildings. "In describing Decorah, we often talk about our 'historic heritage,'" van der Linden said. "This brochure helps illustrate that the heritage relies upon particular features of distinctively different buildings. Our history includes seriousness and whimsy, elaboration and simplification, bold gestures and minor nuance." The brochure spans Decorah's architectural history, from early stone vernacular properties such as the 1851 Vesterheim Painter Mill to more contemporary buildings, including the downtown Running Sugar Bowl, built in 2001, and Luther College's Sampson-Hoffland Laboratories, completed in 2008. Muggli noted that National Register historic districts contain both "contributing" and "noncontributing" buildings. Buildings may be classified as noncontributing, in part, because they are less than 50 years old. "In order to convey the full range of our architectural heritage," Muggli said, "we decided to include recent 'noncontributing' buildings in our brochure, even though they may not technically be considered 'historic.'" Luther College archivist and DHPC member Hayley Jackson said the brochure includes 18 Luther College properties. "This brochure demonstrates the importance and range of the Luther buildings documented in the 2021 National Register listing of the Luther Campus, co-submitted by DHPC and Luther," Jackson said. "The campus is an important part of Decorah's architectural history." The Styles brochure contains 16 photographs because of space limitations. DHPC member Kathy Buzza said her husband, Jim Buzza, photographed all of the properties after commission members discussed the value of including additional images. The photographs are available on the DHPC website. Historic Church Walking TourThe second brochure, "Decorah's Historic Churches," grew out of the DHPC's historic preservation awards. DHPC member Jenny Werner said the idea developed after the commission recognized St. Benedict with its annual historic preservation award in 2019 for the renovation and expansion of its historic building. In 2025, the award recognized five other Broadway churches for their ongoing preservation efforts. "That's when it occurred to us how unusual it was that the six most historic Decorah congregations have all remained within a few-block section of our Broadway-Phelps Park Historic District," Werner said. During the 2025 church award ceremony, individual DHPC members presented brief histories of the churches and discussed their recent renovation and preservation projects. Those presentations became the foundation for the text of the new brochure. The brochure includes descriptions of six churches, along with 18 photographs showing the exteriors and interiors of the buildings. "Because a number of the churches are closed during the day, we were excited to be able to include both contemporary and historic photos of most of the interiors," DHPC Commissioner Adrienne Coffeen said. Online versions of both brochures are available on the Historic Preservation Commission's website. The Decorah Historic Preservation Commission is a state-certified city board established in 2007 to promote the public's educational and economic welfare through the recognition of historic sites. The stories that matter to you, delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe for free.