IAF Announces 2026 Community Enhancement Award Winners
The Iowa Architectural Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2026 Community Enhancement Awards: Dave Morgan – SingleSpeed Brewing Co. and the Vera French Community Mental Health Center, recipients of the Community Enhancement through Architecture and Design Award; and Why Not Us, LLC, recipient of the Community Enhancement through Historic Vitalization Award.
The Community Enhancement Awards recognize individuals, organizations, agencies, and communities outside the architectural profession whose efforts have made a significant and positive impact on the quality of life in Iowa. The Architecture and Design Award honors those who champion high-quality architecture and urban design, while the Historic Vitalization Award recognizes efforts dedicated to preserving and revitalizing Iowa’s historic places.
The 2026 awards were led by Awards Chair Evan Shaw, AIA, with jurors Chad Rasmussen, Jeff Shaffer, AIA, and James Spiller, AIA.
Dave Morgan – SingleSpeed Brewing Co.
Community Enhancement through Architecture and Design Award
Over the past decade, SingleSpeed Brewing Co. owner Dave Morgan has demonstrated how business success can become a catalyst for neighborhood revitalization and environmental stewardship. Rather than pursuing new construction, Morgan has consistently invested in existing buildings, embracing their history and transforming them into vibrant destinations.
His approach began with SingleSpeed’s first brewery in the historic Main Street district of Cedar Falls, where the brewery became a gathering place and downtown anchor. He continued that philosophy in Waterloo, transforming the former 1927 Wonder Bread bakery into a brewery and community destination. Designed in collaboration with INVISION Architecture, elements such as industrial oven components, conical rollers, and conveyor tracks were creatively incorporated into the new space, preserving the building’s connection to Waterloo’s industrial heritage.
In Des Moines, Morgan transformed the century-old Earl’s Tire building into another SingleSpeed brewery and restaurant, preserving its industrial character while incorporating sustainable features including upgraded insulation, rooftop solar panels, and an energy-efficient brewing system.
The Des Moines SingleSpeed brewery and restaurant, formerly Earl’s Tire. Photo Credit Integrated Studio, Cameron Campbell.
Across three Iowa communities, Morgan has demonstrated the potential of adaptive reuse to preserve architectural character while supporting sustainable development, strengthening neighborhood economies, and creating welcoming places for gathering, recreation, and community activity.
“Dave Morgan has demonstrated a commitment to improving communities across Iowa—rehabilitating structures abandoned, underutilized, and in need of a vision. He has catalyzed Iowa’s communities to gather, connect, recreate, and celebrate!”
— James Spiller, AIA, 2026 Community Enhancement Awards juror
“Fostering a new life within often overlooked buildings in our communities takes a vision and dedication to realize these as vibrant gathering spaces. Dave Morgan has shown a commitment to uncovering the potential for vitality in our historic fabric and creating the opportunity for these buildings to serve as new destinations.”
— Jeff Shaffer, AIA, 2026 Community Enhancement Awards juror
Vera French Community Mental Health Center
Community Enhancement through Architecture and Design Award
Vera French Clinic Exterior. Photo Credit JMH Photography.
The Vera French Clinic at Central Park in Davenport demonstrates how architecture can directly advance a community mission. Originally built in 1971, the clinic had not been renovated or expanded in more than five decades. To address growing demand for mental health services, Vera French completed a 1,200-square-foot renovation and 3,130-square-foot addition in 2025.
Designed in collaboration with Streamline Architects, the project transformed the clinic’s formerly cramped and clinical entry into a welcoming environment featuring heavy laminated timber, full-height windows, natural light, and views to the outdoors. An ADA-accessible entrance with a covered vestibule and interior ramp eliminated barriers that had previously made access difficult, particularly during the winter months.
A trauma-informed design approach created a warm, open environment intended to provide a calmer experience for people arriving during difficult moments. The expanded waiting area now accommodates 50 people, more than twice the previous capacity of 20, allowing Vera French to maintain its same-day walk-in model. In 2025, the outpatient program provided more than 12,000 counseling sessions and 14,000 prescriber appointments. The additional space also enabled the launch of an integrated Co-Occurring Disorder Treatment Program.
The project demonstrates how thoughtful design can remove barriers, increase access, and reinforce the dignity of the people a community organization serves.
“What a great example of what architecture can do for a mission. This project took an unappealing, uninviting storefront and transformed it into a welcoming and attractive place in the community. The project helps take away any stigmas with mental health and provided a place everyone is comfortable visiting.”
— Chad Rasmussen, 2026 Community Enhancement Awards juror
“The Vera French Community Mental Health Center is a re-imagining of how uplifting spaces transform mental health care services. This project has evolved an outdated facility to be a welcoming, accessible, and warm environment, reframing mental health as a community priority!”
— James Spiller, AIA, 2026 Community Enhancement Awards juror
Why Not Us, LLC
Community Enhancement through Historic Vitalization Award
When a devastating water loss threatened Jefferson’s historic Centennial Block in 2019, a group of local women came together to preserve one of the community’s most significant downtown buildings—and help bring new life to the town square.
Built in 1876, the Centennial Block is the oldest building on its block and the fourth-oldest masonry structure in the historic district. After a frozen pipe burst, 44,000 gallons of water poured into the building, leaving it unusable and displacing a popular restaurant and gathering place.
The response became Why Not Us, LLC, a community equity model in which 73 women invested $5,000 each with no expectation of dividends, only the shared goal of saving the building. Why Not Us purchased the property and worked with the City of Jefferson, Jefferson Matters, Main Street Iowa, Region 12 COG, local contractors, architect Pete Franks, and other partners to assemble a layered funding strategy for the rehabilitation.
The resulting $1,019,500 rehabilitation restored the street-level commercial space and brought the two upper stories back into productive use as housing. The Centennial Café opened in 2022, followed by the completion of two upper-story apartments in 2025. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022.
Historic character remained central to the rehabilitation. Original window openings were restored, historic finishes were recreated, and the building’s distinctive terra-cotta window hoods featuring women’s faces were preserved. One of the decorative faces was brought inside the restaurant as a focal point, allowing visitors to experience the building’s architectural history up close.
The project’s impact has extended beyond the building itself, helping bring visitors and foot traffic back to the square, supporting neighboring businesses, and inspiring additional investment in Jefferson’s downtown.
“This project exemplifies what Community Enhancement means. It brought together a group of women determined to make their town better and it galvanized a community. It may not be a large dollar project but the impact on Jefferson has been immense.”
— Chad Rasmussen, 2026 Community Enhancement Awards juror
“Our historical fabric can be more than just a collection of old buildings. It can help define a community and reflect the identity of those who advocate for it. Why Not Us shows us there is strength in numbers, backed by passion and commitment, to give new life and meaning to these important community assets.”
— Jeff Shaffer, AIA, 2026 Community Enhancement Awards juror
Through their vision, advocacy, and willingness to invest in Jefferson’s future, Why Not Us, LLC transformed a threatened historic resource into a vibrant community asset and a catalyst for continued downtown revitalization.
The Iowa Architectural Foundation is proud to award Dave Morgan – SingleSpeed Brewing Co., Vera French Mental Health Community Center, and Why Not Us, LLC for demonstrating the powerful ways architecture, design, and preservation can strengthen Iowa communities. Winners will be recognized at the upcoming AIA Iowa Awards Celebration on September 24th.
About the Community Enhancement Awards
The Iowa Architectural Foundation’s Community Enhancement Awards celebrate the people and organizations who demonstrate that thoughtful architecture, design, and preservation can have a lasting impact on Iowa communities. Through these awards, IAF recognizes those who champion the built environment and help create places that are meaningful, vibrant, and connected to their communities.
