Hunter
04/19/24
The Iowa City City Council has voted unanimously to designate the building housing Pagliai’s Pizza as a historic landmark.
The vote is the first of three required to pass the designation.
The Gazette reports council members spoke favorably about being able to preserve a property important to the community. They cited the recommendation of city staff and support from the community.
Even though the vote was unanimous, several council members expressed concern that the designation would go against the wishes of the current owner, Gary Skarda. He appeared at the April 2nd council meeting to oppose having the building designated as a historic landmark because it would be more difficult to sell.
The council said they received over 100 letters of support for the proposal, and more than ten residents spoke in favor during Tuesday’s meeting. Others said it was wrong to go against Skarda’s wishes and said the property would be better used if the building be torn down and replaced with a new housing development.
This is the fourth time the council has considered the Pagliai’s building for historic status. Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission chair Jordan Sellergren said previous attempts were made in the 1980s and 1990’s that failed to proceed. She added that a 2015 attempt resulted in a letter drafted to the owner, but it was never sent.
