T-R FILE PHOTO The Marshalltown Central Business District business disaster recovery coordinator Jenny Etter said a lot of downtown renovations came from out of pocket. The MCBD will host a Restoration Tour Saturday.

Since the July 2018 tornado, the Marshalltown Central Business District has been busy helping business and building owners not just rebuild after the devastating storm, but come back better than ever.

This initiative will be on display Saturday for the MCBD’s biennial Restoration Tour, formerly known as the Treasures Tour. Beginning at 1 p.m. at the Orpheum Theater Black Box, 119 E. Main St., attendees will get the exclusive opportunity to view architectural site plans by firms including Wertzberger Architects PC and TSP, intended to revamp the following businesses:

• Tremont on Main, 24 W. Main St.

• Zamora Fresh Market, 4 E. Main St.

• McGregors Furniture, 111 W. Main St.

• Main Street Antiques, 105 W. Main St.

• The Flying Elbow, 35 N. Center St.

• YSS, 22 N. Center St.

• Abarrotes Villachuato, 107 N. Center St.

The latest updates on renovating the Coliseum, 20 W. State St., will also be discussed by Marshalltown Parks and Rec. Director Geoff Hubbard.

“We will basically be converting the Coliseum into a two basketball court, volleyball court, four pickleball court venue along with meeting rooms on the first and second floors,” he said. “There will also be an addition of a vestibule on the west side that will be the new entrance with stairs and elevator to all levels. The old stage and balcony will be removed to make room for the two courts.”

The architectural site plans will show what facades will soon look like, how streetscapes will be designed and how interior spaces will be reconfigured to maximize efficiency. While the drawings are subject to change, they are intended to provide an overview of what could be.

Images of the recently revealed Downtown Master Plan will also be on display.

“A lot of these renovations came from out of pocket. I’m really proud that people took the opportunity to take repairs a step further — that insurance didn’t cover — simply because they wanted to do that for their buildings,” Business Disaster Recovery Coordinator Jenny Etter said.

At 1:30 p.m., attendees will then get to tour five renovated loft apartments, all located on Main Street. Their exact locations were not available by press time. Since they are upper level dwellings, the tour is not handicap-accessible. Volunteers will lead the tours, which are self-paced, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

“Since it’s a paid tour, we want to keep some mystery to it,” Etter said.

The tour is intended to highlight the benefits of living downtown.

Tickets are $40 and available for purchase at:

• Tremont on Main

• Black Tire Bike Co., 117 W. Main St.

• Hellberg’s Jewelers, 13 W. Main St.

• Premier Real Estate, 2003 S. Center St.

• Orpheum, 220 E. Main St. Tickets at the Orpheum are available at the door the day the tour begins.

A ticket is required to view the displays at the Orpheum and to go on the tour of the loft apartments. For more information, the MCBD office may be reached at 641-844-2001.

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Contact Sara Jordan-Heintz at

641-753-6611 or

sjordan@timesrepublican.com