Lawsuit Filed Over Closure of Iowa State Historical Society Location

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A new lawsuit has been filed over the unexpected closure of the Iowa City location of the Iowa State Historical Society. The lawsuit was filed by the State Historical Society, Inc., an Iowa City-based nonprofit, alleging that the Iowa Department of Administrative Services acted irrationally and abused its discretion in closing the research center without warning or public discussion.

Why it matters

The closure of the Iowa City location of the State Historical Society has raised concerns about the preservation of Iowa's historical records and artifacts. The lawsuit filed by the State Historical Society, Inc. aims to reverse the state agency's decision and address potential violations of an agreement that gave the nonprofit group ownership and stewardship rights over items housed at the Iowa City location.

The details

The State Historical Society, Inc. was founded over 40 years ago to preserve state history. They allege that the Iowa Department of Administrative Services acted irrationally, illogically and capriciously in closing the Iowa City research center. The lawsuit asks a judge to reverse the department's finding that it did nothing wrong, calling the order a product of 'reasoning that is so illogical as to render it wholly irrational.' The nonprofit group claims that a clause in a previous settlement gave them the right of ownership and stewardship of items housed in or donated to the Iowa City location prior to 1974, and that items from that period have already been removed, violating the clause.

• The lawsuit was filed last month.

What’s next

The judge will need to decide whether to reverse the state agency's finding that it did nothing wrong in closing the Iowa City research center.