Historic Fourth Street
“Historic” or “Lower” Fourth Street refers to the two city blocks between Virginia and Iowa Streets in downtown Sioux City that contain thirteen structures dating from 1889 to 1915.
Names like the Bay State, Plymouth, and Major link these blocks to their Massachusetts investors. Most of the larger buildings in the district are notable for their distinctive Richardsonian Romanesque style, an architectural style popular in the late 1800s.
Popular in the late 1890s, Richardsonian Romanesque is characterized by heavy, rough-cut stone walls, round arches, squat columns, and deeply recessed windows.
Two of the buildings, the Evans Block and the Boston Block are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Since then, the majority of the buildings in the district have undergone extensive renovation. Now known as the Fourth Street Historic District, the area is one Sioux City’s most popular entertainment spots featuring a variety of restaurants, pubs, nightclubs, and specialty shops.
