HAGERTY, Duane P.

Being Researched

Photo courtesy: Dubuque Today

HAGERTY, Duane P. (Dubuque, IA, June 5, 1966--Dubuque, IA, Dec. 28, 2024) Duane, the son of Patrick and Judith (Kronlage) Hagerty, was raised on his family’s farm near Bankston. He attended Farley-Bankston Catholic School before continuing his education at Western Dubuque High School and graduated with the Class of 1984.

Duane continued his education at the University of Northern Iowa where he received a scholarship from the Black Hawk County Law Association to study pre-law. (1) He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from U.N.I. in 1988. He attended the University of Minnesota Law School, where he earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude, in 1991. Hagerty then practiced real estate law in Des Moines and Chicago. (2)

In 2010, Duane followed his interests in history and architecture and changed his career focus to historic property redevelopment. He earned a Master of Science in Historic Preservation from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His master's thesis was a comprehensive feasibility study on the reuse of Dubuque's St. Mary's church. (3) Following his graduation, he formed Hagerty Heritage Planning, a historic preservation firm located in Chicago, Illinois. He became actively involved in Dubuque architecture with work redeveloping the St. Mary's parish into STEEPLE SQUARE. (4) Since 2015, he was the President and CEO of Heritage Works, a nonprofit preservation organization based in Dubuque.

To understand the profound impact of Duane on the Tri-State area, it must be remembered that he possessed a deep understanding of residential law, a passion for historic preservation, and a firm belief that historical preservation was never a hindrance but rather a valuable key to economic development. He believed historic buildings drew attention to the cities in which they were located. He had been a witness to the devastation wracked by well-meaning downtown landowners with URBAN RENEWAL. Slowly historic preservation ordinances were passed. Building owners came to realize there were financial incentives including the Federal Historic Tax Credit and the State Historic Tax credit to assist them in renovation.

Early projects in Dubuque led to the rehabilitation of 60 historic projects, a federal funding investment into the city of more than $66 million, and a state investment of $75 million. These added, rather than reduced, the property tax base in Dubuque, created hundreds of jobs, and led to hundreds of millions of dollars in additional rehabilitation and investment. As Hagerty stated in a Telegraph Herald editorial:

                The veil of blight was lifted from buildings like the
                TOWN CLOCK Building, the JULIEN HOTEL, the [[GRAND
                OPERA HOUSE]] and the former Walsh stores. (5)

Duane's Heritage Works along with GRONEN PROPERTIES/GRONEN RESTORATION helped to save such landmarks as ST. RAPHAEL'S CATHEDRAL (6), the UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH (7) , and FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST (8).

Massive projects as these were but a part of the plan Hagerty brought to Dubuque. Part of his philosophy called for alerting the citizens of Dubuque to the architectural wonders which promised future economic development. Led by Hagerty, Heritage Works officially began its work in June, 2015 with a presentation of architectural designs used by Alfred CALDWELL to design EAGLE POINT PARK. (9) It was Hagerty's belief that while Dubuque was nationally known for its churches, it was under-reported in terms of its heritage in stained glass. In October 2015 buoyed by the presence of a king's ransom of stained glass in Dubuque, he organized and led a tour of stained glass located in local churches. In 2016 he hosted a "Lunch 'n Learn: Efficiency in Historic Homes" to teach homeowners the restoration of historic wood windows. (10) Articles in the Telegraph Herald involved the care of stained glass windows during the renovation of St. Mary's church into STEEPLE SQUARE. Each window was carefully freed of its frame, soaked, cleaned, repaired and polished. Specialized skills gained by the laborers make them much valuable in the construction trades.

Chadwick Building. Photo courtesy: Telegraph Herald

In 2017 he assisted the staff of LORAS COLLEGE with an application to be listed on the NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES. Hagerty noted at the time that gaining such a distinction would assist the college in marketing itself and receiving grants and tax credits for qualifying buildings. (11) In 2018 Heritage Works in partnership with the DUBUQUE MUSEUM OF ART planned two urban renewal presentations as part of its ArchTREK series (12) Chris Miller with the help of Heritage Works discovered the "historic shell" of the Chadwick Building. Located at the the corner of West 1st Street, the building had been an aluminum-covered eyesore for nearly twenty years. As an example of Heritage Works involvement, plans to demolish the building to construct a drive thru were shelved. Showing the commitment of the city renovation rather than removal, a proposed agreement with the city included 15 years of tax increment financing incentives not to exceed $168,683, a $30,000 Downtown Housing Incentive Grant, and a $340,000 Downtown Rehabilitation Loan. (13)

Loan

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Source:

1. "Area Students Receive Honors, Scholarships," Telegraph Herald, June 1, 1986, p. 45

2. Obituary, Telegraph Herald, January 1, 2025, p. 12

3. Pederson, Mary-Nevans, "What's Next for Former Church?" Telegraph Herald, November 30, 2011, p. 1

4. "Evening Architecture Presentation," Telegraph Herald, March 30, 2014, p. 9

5. Hagerty, Duane, "Historic Activation Catalyzes Local Economic Development," Telegraph Herald, November 17, 2022, p. 4

6. "Cathedral of St. Raphael and Campus Repair," Online: https://cathedralstpats.org/cathedral-renovations

7. Reese, Kyli, "Over $215K Raised for Unitarian Church Restoration," Telegraph Herald, January 4, 2021, p. 5

8. London, Michelle, "First Congregational Church Continues to Serve During Renovations," Telegraph Herald, May 13, 2024 Online: https://www.telegraphherald.com/news/features/article_7706b22e-ee7d-11ed-a4d4-e3ebb0ac87ed.html

9. Frenzel, Anthony, "History and Heritage," Telegraph Herald, October 17, 2015, p. 12

10. Dubuque Architecture Days, Telegraph Herald, April 6, 2016, p. 20

11. Hinga, Allie, "Loras Still Aiming for Register," Telegraph Herald, October 31, 2017, p. 3

12. Day, Mike, "Revisiting Urban Renewal," Telegraph Herald, Nov. 22, 2018, p. 1A

13. Joos, Nick, "Building Project Spurs Downtown Optimism," Telegraph Herald, September 5, 2023, p. 1