Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
“Steyer Opera House is a historic building located in Decorah, Iowa, United States. The three-story, brick commercial block was designed by F.G.”
Wikipedia article Steyer Opera House, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 36 National Register listings published here for Winneshiek County · listed in 1980 · category: Building.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 20 fires within 5 miles of Steyer Opera House between 2006 and 2020, burning about 211 acres in total. None 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 | 10 |
| Debris and open burning | 9 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 September 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 10 September 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 21 August 2012 | Debris and open burning | 32 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 2 August 2014 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 6 July 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 20 May 2014 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 13 May 2014 | Debris and open burning | 15 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 9 April 2014 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 23 workings within 5 miles of Steyer Opera House: 14 past producers, 8 producers, 1 occurrence. 8 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Lead. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed Diggings | Lead | Occurrence | Galena | |
| Carlson Pit & Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Decorah Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Freeport Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Borseth Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Broghammer Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Fulsaas Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Holthaus Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Decorah, the town this property stands in, in 91 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 40 thunderstorm wind, 38 hail, 3 flood, 3 flash flood. The reports record 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | 2 hurt, $50,000 | no account filed |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $100,000 | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $70,000 | no account filed |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Hail | Decorah | $50,000 | no account filed |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $30,000 | A metal machine shed was blown down just south of Decorah. |
| July 2000 | Flash Flood | Decorah | $30,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Decorah | $30,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Decorah | $27,000 | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $20,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $20,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $17,000 | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $15,000 | Numerous trees and power lines were blown down across the central part of Winneshiek County, roughly from north of Decorah to Fort Atkinson. |
| August 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $15,000 | no account filed |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $13,000 | Trees and power lines were blown down in Decorah. A pickup sustained damage at a campground when a tree landed on it. |
| May 2002 | Flash Flood | Decorah | $12,000 | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $10,000 | Trees and power lines were blown down in Decorah. |
| June 2014 | Lightning | Decorah | $10,000 | A lightning strike caused a minor house fire to occur in Decorah. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $10,000 | A machine shed was blown down and across Twin Springs Road just southwest of Decorah. |
| May 1996 | Hail | Decorah | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $9,000 | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Hail | Decorah | $8,000 | no account filed |
| August 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $7,000 | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $5,500 | no account filed |
| April 1994 | Hail | Decorah | $5,000 | Thunderstorms erupted over the north half of Iowa ahead of a warm front moving north into the state. For the most part, these storms were not severe. Two of them did produce severe weather. The first severe storm produced high winds in Carroll County. Two farms were affected. The first farm reported a barn door being ripped off and some minor damage to the farmhouse. The second, a neighboring farm, had shingle damage done to the farmhouse and eaves on the garage were ripped off. A trampoline was taken from the yard and blown three-quarters of a mile away. In addition, a power line was ripped out of the yard and a swing set was blown into the farm field. |
| July 2004 | Hail | Decorah | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Flash Flood | Decorah | $5,000 | no account filed |
| April 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $3,000 | Trees and power lines were blown down in Decorah and across other parts of Winneshiek County. |
| August 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $3,000 | Several trees were blown down in Decorah. |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $2,500 | no account filed |
| June 2015 | Lightning | Decorah | $2,000 | A lightning strike took out the Decorah eagle web camera. |
| September 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $2,000 | Numerous branches and small trees were blown down in and near Decorah. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $2,000 | Several trees were blown down. |
| July 2004 | Hail | Decorah | $2,000 | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Decorah | $2,000 | no account filed |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $2,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Flood | Decorah | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 1995 | Hail | Decorah | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 1995 | Hail | Decorah | $2,000 | no account filed |
| September 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $1,500 | Trees were blown down in Decorah. |
| July 2004 | Hail | Decorah | $1,500 | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $1,000 | no account filed |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $800 | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Decorah | $750 | no account filed |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $500 | A large tree branch was blown down in Decorah. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $500 | A large tree was uprooted just north of Decorah. |
| July 1994 | Tornado (F0) | Decorah | $500 | no account filed |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | $250 | Trees were blown down in parts of Decorah. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Decorah | - | The public reported pine trees down near Decorah. |
| August 2016 | Flood | Decorah | - | Runoff from heavy rain pushed the Upper Iowa River out of its banks in Decorah. The river crested around a foot and a half above the flood stage at 13.68 feet. |
| April 2014 | Hail | Decorah | - | Quarter sized hail was reported in Decorah. |
| June 2013 | Heavy Rain | Decorah | - | In Decorah, 3 inches of rain was reported. |
| May 2013 | Funnel Cloud | Decorah | - | Funnel clouds were visible in Decorah. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Winnishiek County Courthouse | under 500 feet | 2022 |
 | Decorah Commercial Historic District | 0.1 miles | 2017 |
 | Decorah Woolen Mill | 0.1 miles | 2001 |
 | Ellsworth-Porter House | 0.4 miles | 1975 |
| Painter-Bernatz Mill | 0.5 miles | 1974 | |
 | Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway Combination Depot | 0.5 miles | 2016 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 80001462 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Winneshiek County | All 36 listed properties in this county. |
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