Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.
“Ames Main Street Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Ames, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.”
Wikipedia article Ames Main Street Historic District, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 37 National Register listings published here for Story County · listed in 2018 · category: District.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 37 fires within 5 miles of Ames Main Street Historic District between 2006 and 2020, burning about 143 acres in total. 1 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
| Natural | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 September 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 11 September 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 4 August 2016 | Natural | 20 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | NEVADA FIRE DEPT. |
| 15 August 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 1 July 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 4 June 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 28 June 2016 | Smoking | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | NEVADA FIRE DEPT. |
| 12 June 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 7 workings within 5 miles of Ames Main Street Historic District: 4 producers, 3 past producers. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Bituminous, Sulfur-Pyrite. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa State Univ. Coal Prep. Plant | Bituminous, Sulfur-Pyrite | Producer | ||
| Onion Creek Quarries | Limestone, Dimension | Past Producer | ||
| Ames Mine | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Ames Mine | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Ames Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Old Roberson Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Peterson Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Ames, the town this property stands in, in 272 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 99 thunderstorm wind, 85 hail, 52 heavy rain, 18 flood. The reports record 9 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2005 | Tornado (F1) | Ames | 8 hurt, $150,000 | A tornado touched down in the central Campas Area of ISU. Eight injuries occurred, one serious enough to require hospitalization. |
| November 2005 | Tornado (F2) | Ames | 1 hurt, $250,000 | Tornado moved from Boone County into Story County. One minor injury occurred on the west side of Ames. |
| August 2010 | Flood | Ames | $50,000,000 | Hilton Coliseum reported 4 to 6 feet of water inside flooding the stadium and basketball floor. Cy Stephens Auditorium also reports water in the mechanical building up to the 1st floor. |
| August 2010 | Flood | Ames | $1,000,000 | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $500,000 | Story County Emergency Manager reports widespread significant tree damage in and around Ames. Some trees uprooted and others snapped off. Empty grain bins and outbuildings damaged across the county. A tree fell on a shed at Iowa State University. |
| August 2010 | Flood | Ames | $500,000 | no account filed |
| April 2007 | Flood | Ames | $500,000 | no account filed |
| May 2014 | Hail | Ames | $250,000 | Several reports via TV and social media of golf ball hail in Ames. |
| May 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $250,000 | Garage doors were blown in with gutters torn off of an apartment complex in north Ames. |
| July 2000 | Hail | Ames | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Flash Flood | Ames | $250,000 | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Ames | $175,000 | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $150,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Flood | Ames | $100,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Flood | Ames | $100,000 | no account filed |
| April 2007 | Flood | Ames | $100,000 | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Lightning | Ames | $100,000 | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $100,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Flood | Ames | $100,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Flood | Ames | $70,000 | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Flash Flood | Ames | $50,000 | WHO-TV, via social media, reported water roughly 2 to 3 feet deep on Grand Ave at the railroad underpass just north of Lincoln Way. Several cars were stalled out in the water. |
| May 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $50,000 | Damage report within two blocks of Bloomington Rd. and Grand Ave. Shingles off of house roofs, privacy fences down, apartment buildings lost partial balcony, traffic light pole bent over, and trees of one to two foot diameter snapped at bases. |
| May 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $50,000 | Wind damage reported to trees. Observer measured wind speed. |
| May 2013 | Flood | Ames | $50,000 | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 2008 | Flood | Ames | $50,000 | no account filed |
| March 2007 | Flood | Ames | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Flood | Ames | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $50,000 | no account filed |
| April 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $50,000 | no account filed |
| April 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Ames | $40,000 | no account filed |
| September 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $30,000 | Ames Police reported wall of a building pushed in about 6 feet, damage to the walls and doors, contents inside blown around, as well as trees down in the area. Time estimated from radar. |
| September 2016 | Flash Flood | Ames | $30,000 | Ames Police reported several streets throughout the town have deep enough water to cause multiple stalled vehicles. |
| September 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $30,000 | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $25,000 | Large trees were uprooted along 13th street in Ames. |
| May 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $25,000 | A tree landed on a house and a car in the area of Nixon Circle in Ames. The tree damaged the gas line to the house. |
| May 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $25,000 | Wind speed measured at an Ames mesonet site. |
| August 2010 | Flash Flood | Ames | $25,000 | Story County Sheriff reports Highway 69 closed from Ames south to mile post 111 due to water over the road. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $25,000 | Tree damage reported and power pole snapped. |
| May 2008 | Flash Flood | Ames | $25,000 | Water was reported over the road at the intersection of 180th and U.S. Highway 69. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $25,000 | Ames police reported several large trees down along Country Club Blvd. One power pole was down with other damage near the corner of State and Mortenson roads. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Ames | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Hail | Ames | $25,000 | no account filed |
| September 2016 | Flash Flood | Ames | $20,000 | Public reported stores along Stange Road starting to flood with water from out front. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $20,000 | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $20,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $20,000 | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $15,000 | Large tree fell on staked down tents east of Jack Trice Stadium in Ames. |
| May 2008 | Flood | Ames | $15,000 | no account filed |
| September 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $15,000 | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $15,000 | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $15,000 | no account filed |
| May 2019 | Flood | Ames | $10,000 | Emergency manager reported several locations in Ames have water over the road, including East Lincoln Way, Grand Ave, and Airport Road. |
| May 2018 | Hail | Ames | $10,000 | Public reported ping pong ball sized hail. |
| September 2016 | Flash Flood | Ames | $10,000 | Trained spotter reported College Creek on ISU campus out of its banks and has reached the base of Union Drive. Heavy rainfall still ongoing as of time of report. |
| July 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $10,000 | A 12 inch diameter tree blown down on a car. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ames | $10,000 | Trees and power lines blocking Riverside Road north of Ames. |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Municipal Building | under 500 feet | 1997 |
 | Masonic Temple | under 500 feet | 2016 |
 | Ames High School | 0.2 miles | 2002 |
 | Bandshell Park Historic District | 0.2 miles | 1999 |
 | Budd, Prof, J.L., Sarah M., and Etta Budd, House | 0.3 miles | 2001 |
 | Old Town Historic District | 0.5 miles | 2004 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 100002399 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Story County | All 37 listed properties in this county. |
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