Roshek's

Roshek Brothers Department Store

Company type	Private
Industry	Retail
Founder	J.J. Roshek, F.H. Roshek
Defunct	1982
Fate	Closed
Headquarters	Dubuque , United States
Products	Department store goods

Template:Use mdy dates Template:Refimprove Template:Infobox NRHP Roshek Brothers Department Store was a prominent retail establishment situated in the heart of downtown Dubuque, Iowa, United States. Founded by J.J. and F.H. Roshek, the store was once the leading shopping venue in Dubuque and held the distinction of being Iowa’s largest department store. The building itself is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

File:Roshek Building Interior.jpg

Interior of Roshek's, July, 2016

For over four decades, Roshek's operated within a nine-story structure located at 700 Locust Street in Dubuque. Construction began in August 1929 and occurred in two phases. While the original plan aimed to complete the entire building within one year, by autumn 1931 only the northern section was finished. The full construction concluded in 1932, resulting in a building that spans an entire city block in length and half a block in width, making it the tallest structure in Dubuque. This edifice replaced two four-story buildings: the former Rider-Wallis dry goods building on the southern half of the block (which was demolished to allow completion) and a smaller four-story Roshek building located across the alley to the east at the southwest corner of Eighth and Main streets—a site later occupied by Montgomery Ward. The design was crafted by Charles Wheeler Nicol (1888–1953), a well-known regional architect specializing in major hotels and educational facilities. This remains Iowa’s largest building purpose-built as a department store.

Several other department stores were also located downtown during this period. In the 1960s, before Kennedy Mall was developed, Stampfer’s occupied the northeast corner of Eighth and Main streets, while J.C. Penney was situated on Main Street’s west side just north of Stampfer’s.

During the 1960s, Roshek's opted to relocate its operations to smaller premises within Kennedy Mall, a regional shopping center positioned on Dubuque’s western outskirts. Roshek's became an anchor tenant there alongside Montgomery Ward and Younkers, a Des Moines-based department store that made its debut in Dubuque with the mall’s opening. The new Roshek's location began operations in 1970. Subsequently, ownership transferred from the Roshek family to Gamble-Skogmo, Inc., with the store closing its doors in 1982. Presently, what initially housed Roshek's at Kennedy Mall is occupied by two other department stores: Sears and Younkers.

Following Roshek's departure from downtown, their former department store building was repurposed as office space. For most of this period it has been known as the Dubuque Building, except for several years when it carried the name CyCare Plaza. It is currently referred to as The Roshek Building.

On January 15, 2009, IBM revealed plans to establish a technology service center within the building, bringing approximately 1,300 jobs after renovating it to achieve LEED certification. The structure was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 17, 2010.