The first ice house in Cedar Falls was built in 1858 near the homestead of William Sturgis , the first permanent resident of Black Hawk County . It was destroyed in a fire on October 22 , 1921 . Hugh Smith , who owned Cedar Falls Ice and Fuel Company , made plans for the present structure . It was completed in November 1921 by the Cedar Falls Construction Company . The first ice harvest began on January 10 , 1922 . The building served as an ice house from 1922 until Smith lost his business in 1934 . Cedar Falls Trust and Savings Bank took over the building . It was used as a livestock barn and later was flooded for ice skating . In 1938 the city of Cedar Falls purchased the building and leased it to the Cedar Falls Boat Club . They occupied the building until 1976 when the building was condemned . That year the Cedar Falls Historical Society decided to save the structure . After a successful fund-raising campaign the building was renovated beginning in 1978 , and the Ice House Museum opened on June 24 , 1979 . The building was damaged in a 2008 flood
2008 flood
Iowa flood of 2008
Cedar Falls Ice House