-Farm News photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
Guests love The Centennial’s signature Better Than Bell Tower Cake, with its layers of chocolate fudge crunch cake and whipped cream.

JEFFERSON — Jefferson is one of those towns where people just get things done. The community recently built a new high school and career academy. A group of local volunteers transformed an eyesore near the courthouse square into the lush, inviting Thomas Jefferson Gardens of Greene County. As the community promoted local tourism, many guests enjoyed excellent meals at Angie’s Tea Garden just north of the Greene County Courthouse.

Then the unthinkable happened on a bitterly cold day on Feb. 5, 2019. “A frozen water pipe burst upstairs in the building that housed Angie’s Tea Garden,” said Peg Raney, a farm wife, retired teacher and retired executive director of Jefferson Matters, which promotes and preserves historic downtown Jefferson.

Thousands of gallons of water gushed through the Centennial Block building, which had been built in 1876 during America’s centennial. The flood destroyed the ceiling and caused extensive damage to the property at 100 E. State St. That marked the end of Angie’s Tea Garden in Jefferson and an uncertain future for the Centennial Block building.

A group of local women took on the challenge. They came together in 2019 to form an LLC called Why Not Us? with a nine-member board. They pooled their money (hundreds of thousands of dollars, in fact) to cooperatively renovate the Centennial Block building.

With the help of the city, state grants and other donations, as well as the expertise of Pete Franks, a preservation architect and president of Franks Design Group in Glenwood, Iowa, the group is revitalizing the historic property.

-Farm News photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
The menu at The Centennial in Jefferson includes The Centennial Salad with cranberry almond chicken, the BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad, homemade soups and more.

They’ve transformed the first floor into The Centennial, an elegant, casual-dining venue that blends contemporary taste with historic charm. The Centennial opened for business this summer and is helping accelerate economic development in downtown Jefferson.

“We all loved Angie’s Tea Garden, but we looked at this as an opportunity to create something new,” said Raney, board president of Why Not Us? “There have been bumps in the road on this journey, but each one led to something positive. We’re excited about the economic impact this new venue can make in our community.”

Contemporary taste meets historic charm

The menu at The Centennial is already attracting a loyal clientele. Options include The Centennial Salad with cranberry almond chicken, the BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad, homemade soups from cheeseburger chowder to tomato basil bisque, flavorful sandwiches and wraps, and The Centennial Blend Coffee, crafted by the Greene Bean Coffee shop right across the street.

Be sure to save room for dessert. Options include salted chocolate toffee tart, lemon raspberry cheesecake or The Centennial’s signature Better Than Bell Tower Cake, with its layers of chocolate fudge crunch cake and whipped cream.

-Farm News photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
The building at 100 E. State St. in Jefferson that’s home to The Centennial restaurant housed The City Bank years ago, as shown in this photo from the early 1900s.

All this is made possible by The Centennial’s trained, skilled chef, Sara Ostrander, a Grand Junction native. “We knew Sara had years of experience working in commercial kitchens, which was what we wanted,” said Jacque Andrew of Jefferson, who serves on the board of Why Not Us? “We also love the fact that she’s from Greene County. She’s the captain of the ship here.”

The opportunity to work in Jefferson at The Centennial was too good to pass up, said Ostrander, a former 4-H member who loves putting her culinary skills to work close to home.

“This has been so much fun and is a dream come true,” she said

Facing a bright future

It’s not uncommon to see Ostrander step out of the kitchen and visit with guests in the dining room. This elegant space is filled with distinctive touches, from decorative tin panels on the 12-foot-high ceilings to the panoramic photograph showing the Centennial Block in the early 1900s. The 8-foot-tall windows on the west allow natural light to pour into the room. It’s a distinct departure from the way things looked prior to the renovation, when the interior space was much darker.

-Farm News photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
The Centen-nial’s trained, skilled chef, Sara Ostrander, is a Grand Junction native with years of experience working in commercial kitchens.

In fact, the windows and their unique ornamentation reflect a remarkable story that encompasses both the history and future of the building. Look closely at the ornate details near the exterior windows, and you’ll see 61 women’s faces gracing the building’s first- and second-floor windows.

These window hoods are perhaps the only remaining of their style in Iowa, according to the women of Why Not Us?, who have consulted with various architects and preservationists.

Few, if any, Iowa buildings of comparable vintage feature these female faces detailed in terra-cotta on the decorative facades.

With the development of The Centennial renovation in the last several years, the faces (including three “dining room divas” that accent the massive mirror inside the restaurant) have come to represent each of the unit holders in Why Not Us? To become a unit holder, one must contribute $5,000 to the Why Not Us? LLC for the purpose of renovating the building.

“We thought we might be able to find 30 women who were willing to contribute $5,000 each,” Andrew said. “So far, 67 members have made this commitment, because they see the value of a destination restaurant located in our beautiful downtown district and the important role it plays in the retail activity around the square.”

-Farm News photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
Peg Raney (left), board president of Why Not Us? LLC, joined Jacque Andrew, a fellow Jefferson resident and member of Why Not Us?, for lunch at The Centennial in Jefferson.

Among the unit holders are local residents, as well as Jefferson-area natives who now reside from Rhode Island to Washington state. Why Not Us? hopes to reach their new goal of 71 members soon, Andrew noted. This women-led initiative fits with the strong female leaders who’ve been associated with the Centennial Block building through the years.

“One of the first women doctors in Greene County had an office here,” said Raney, who added that the building also housed The City Bank years ago.

Financial matters are always a consideration with a project like The Centennial.

“Our goal is to cash flow,” Raney said. “There’s no free lunch for the members of Why Not Us? Rent from the restaurant and two apartments that are being finished upstairs will help us take the next steps.”

The Centennial is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the second Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch. Many customers also like carryout orders. In addition, The Centennial is available for catering and hosting special events and meetings.

-Farm News photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
To become a unit holder in Why Not Us?, one must contribute $5,000 to the LLC for the purpose of renovating

“It takes a grassroots effort to make all this happen, and sometimes it has felt overwhelming, but we’re so excited about the future,” Raney said. “Whatever we can do to advance Jefferson and Iowa, we’re all in.”

-Farm News photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
From the time the Centennial Block building was constructed in 1876, distinctive women’s faces have accented the window hoods on the building’s first- and second-floor windows. Three “dining room divas” can also be seen in the dining room today.