Honoring a Commitment to Excellence in Historic Preservation

Preservation Iowa has recognized RDG Planning & Design with an Iowa Preservation at Its Best award, presenting the firm with the 2020 Best Multi-Residential Project for work on Hotel Maytag in Newton, Iowa. Representatives from RDG joined Jack Hatch, principal at Hatch Development Group and owner of Hotel Maytag to accept the award at the virtual Preserve Iowa Summit on June 4.

Each year, Preservation Iowa honors individuals, organizations, projects and programs whose work demonstrates a commitment to excellence in historic preservation. RDG’s design for Hotel Maytag, which was originally constructed in 1926, revitalizes the five-story structure’s original features and transforms nearly 82,000 SF of space into a vibrant, mixed-use building.

Hotel Maytag served as Newton’s main event hub until the mid-1960s when its main ballroom closed, and its interior spaces were chopped up to create apartments, offices and commercial spaces. Over the next several decades the structure would undergo multiple ownership changes and continue to decline until, in 2017, rehabilitation and renovation efforts began in earnest. The resulting design, which was done in partnership with the City of Newton, Hatch Development Group, Earth Services and Abatement and Estes Construction, was completed in the summer of 2019 and includes 45 new workforce and market-rate apartments, a rehabilitated Capitol Theatre, a rehabilitated Midtown Cafe and new retail shops.