Since 1914
History of The Waterloo Building
Built as a Bank
The Leavitt & Johnson National Bank
The Waterloo Building opened in 1914 as the Leavitt & Johnson National Bank, one of downtown Waterloo's anchor financial institutions. At ten stories it was among the tallest buildings in the city — a statement in stone and steel that Waterloo's commercial district had arrived.
The bank's original vault is still in the building today, its century-old door a regular conversation piece for the businesses and visitors who pass through.
The Timeline
A century on Commercial Street
- 1914
The ten-story Leavitt & Johnson National Bank building opens at 531 Commercial Street, among the tallest in downtown Waterloo.
- 20th century
Through decades of change downtown, the building stays a working address for Waterloo's banks, firms, and professionals — its stonework and vault intact.
- Skywalk era
Enclosed skywalks connect the building directly to the Waterloo Convention Center and the adjacent hotel, folding it into the heart of downtown.
- 2024
Following a favorable preliminary evaluation by the Iowa State Historic Preservation Office, the owners begin pursuing listing of the Leavitt & Johnson National Bank building on the National Register of Historic Places.
- Today
The Waterloo Building houses professional offices across its ten floors, offering historic character and a downtown address to the next generation of Cedar Valley businesses.
Then & Now
The same landmark, still working
A century after the first depositors walked through its doors, The Waterloo Building is still what it was built to be: a working address at the center of downtown. Modern updates arrived — elevators, systems, and the skywalks — without erasing the character that makes it worth remembering.
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