Website: Stuart 

Located at I-80 & Exit 93

All Saints Church

The restored clock tower on Main Street in Stuart is a majestic timepiece atop a beautifully renovated building.  The nearby ruins of the former All Saints Church (once voted “the most beautiful church in Iowa”) stand as a vivid reminder of the devastation caused by religious intolerance.  Constructed in 1908, in what was truly a community effort, the rare Byzantine structure is one of very few like it found in the Midwest.  Loosely modeled after St. Marks in Venice, Italy, the copper dome reached 90 feet into the air, a beacon calling travelers off I-80 for years. It truly was an exquisite place for worship and wonder.  In 1995, a lone arsonist, consumed by hatred for the Catholic religion, set fire to the historic building and nearly destroyed it.  

Depot

Restoration has been started by a committee of local residents interested in seeing the still beautiful landmark returned to its former glory. (Project Restore Foundation)

Another landmark under restoration is the old Rock Island Railroad Depot, once one of the regular stops of the Rock Island line on its route across Iowa. Built in 1879, the Depot was in operation until the 1960’s.  

It was placed on the National Historic Register in 1990.  When restored, it will serve as a museum and community meeting room. 

Bonnie and Clyde Bank

Stuart is also the location of the last bank robbery staged by the notorious Barrow gang (best known as “Bonnie and Clyde”).  Shortly after this robbery on April 16, 1934. The original bank building still stands and carries the inscription shown to the left, but the First National Bank closed in 1944 and the building now houses offices.