The City of Newton is looking for a $7,000 Iowa Rural Heritage Revitalization Grant to “mothball” the caretaker’s house at Maytag Park. 

The one-story house was built in late 1935 with a full concrete basement and concrete floors with oak floor overlay, a slate roof, and coal-fueled radiators for heat. On the west side of the house, there are also public bathrooms that remain open. The home is currently used for storage by the Parks Department, primarily for the holiday lights that light up the park during Christmas. It sits in the Fred Maytag Park Historic District, which was listed on the national register in 2010.

The so-called “mothballing” of the house would involve a Preservation Architect analyzing the home and developing a plan to ensure it remains in a safe condition with no further deterioration. The City of Newton has already completed one mothballing project at Maytag Park, which involved the basement of the Maytag Bowl.

If the $7,000 grant application is successful, the City of Newton would provide another $3,000 to complete the project’s expected cost. The city money will come from the Community Development Department’s budget.