CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Preservationists sometimes refer to the demolition of significant buildings as “truly criminal,” a phrase that has added meaning with the ruin of an iconic mid-Century building in northeast Cedar Rapids.
Built as headquarters for the Western Fraternal Life Association (WFLA) in 1958, the award-winning building at 1900 First Ave. NE was expected to be repurposed as the first-ever corporate headquarters for Eastern Iowa Food Service, which has a separate division, Reif Oil Co., based in Burlington.
Related: Iconic building set to be repurposed
The family-owned company operates Dunkin’ franchises in Iowa — formerly known as Dunkin’ Donuts — and would have offered a Dunkin’ franchise on the top floor, with offices and a bakery on the lower level.
Along with Dunkin’s menu of breakfast sandwiches, doughnuts, beverages and more, the building would have served as a dedicated training site, company representatives said in 2022.
But plans for renovations were hindered after break-ins to the building, said Chris Benge of Reif Oil.
“It took a terrible twist,” Benge said, citing broken fixtures, numerous items stolen, infrastructure damaged and even a jack hammer used inside the building.
A door looking out onto the sunken garden is shown boarded shut. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Although the company had tried to secure the structure, he said, entry was made through the roof.
According to court documents, Joshua R. O’Connor, 37, of 1316 First Ave. NW, was accused of first-degree criminal mischief, a Class C felony, for intentionally damaging, defacing, altering or destroying tangible property in the building sometime between Oct. 31 and Nov. 12, 2025, causing more than $10,000 in damage.
O’Connor also was accused of third-degree burglary, a Class D felony, for allegedly entering the building without the right to do so, intending to commit a felony or theft.
According to the complaint, Cedar Rapids Police were dispatched to the location in reference to a burglary and property damage. Officers found the building had been burglarized and significant damage had been done to the HVAC system and plumbing and copper tubing had been taken from the facility. The damage was estimated to cost approximately $41,000 in repair, replacement and restoration costs.
Investigators determined that entry was gained through a hatch on the roof, and while inside, a suspect
forced open an interior door by breaking the glass window on the door and leaving fingerprints on both sides of a shard. The fingerprints were found to be the left thumb and index finger of the defendant, the documents stated.
O’Connor denied ever being at the facility, but an investigator determined he was captured on video surveillance with another subject selling a large amount of copper tubing at C&C Recycling
in Cedar Rapids, on or about November 12, 2025, that appeared similar to what was taken from the building.
Records showed a $15,000 bond was posted, and Benge said O’Connor did not have to spend time in jail.
He received a deferred judgment on a reduced charge of third-degree criminal mischief, an aggravated misdemeanor, as well as the burglary charge, and was ordered to serve probation for two years. He was also ordered to pay $41,000 in restitution, at $100 monthly.
If O’Connor successfully completes probation, the criminal case records will be expunged.
Benge said while it initially made financial sense to reuse the building, with the amount of damage, the company decided to demolish it, as well as a former church building it owned on the same property.
Demolition is underway in August 2026. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Demolition began Aug. 26, 2026, on the former WFLA building, and was still underway days later. The former church was demolished Aug. 12.
Constructed with five types of stone, the WFLA building featured 7,500 square feet on each of its two levels. Previously known as ZCBJ – for Západní Česko-Bratrská Jednota, or Western Bohemian Fraternal Association, the building opened to a three-day ceremony during its dedication in 1959 and later earned architectural awards.
The association provided life insurance and a social connection to members’ Czech/Bohemian origins. The Western Fraternal Life Association, as it was later known, became BetterLife and moved its headquarters to Madison, Wisconsin, in 2021.
Features included long-lasting terrazzo flooring in the entrance lobby, various designs of tile in restrooms and kitchen, and a cafeteria looking out onto a sunken garden.
A Czech mural was previously rescued from the building by the nonprofit Save CR Heritage.
The mural has been restored and installed in the Cherry Building in southeast Cedar Rapids, not far from the original ZCBJ building at Third Street and 12th Avenue SE in New Bohemia, which still stands today and is now known as The Olympic.
Edwin Bruns, a local artist who studied at the Chicago Art Institute and was a close friend of artist Grant Wood, spent eight months painting the mural on imported hand-woven Belgian linen canvas, which was varnished and attached to the walls of what was then the new headquarters of the Western Bohemian Fraternal Association.
More: Rescuing a Czech work of art in Iowa
See the restored mural in its new home at the Cherry Building in Cedar Rapids: Czech immigration mural rededicated in new site
On the same site, the 1960’s former Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building, later an Odd Fellows hall, had also been used by the WFLA.
A wall made of natural field stone, which the city’s Historic Assets Subcommittee asked to include on the Cedar Rapids historic assets list, predated both buildings and was left in place.
According to the city assessor’s office, the site sold for $1.3 million in 2022.
In 2021, both buildings also were at risk of demolition under plans by Kwik Star, which had proposed a convenience store and car wash at the location.
Neighbors circulated a petition and showed up at meetings to object to the convenience store, which would have operated 24 hours per day, seven days a week, with fuel pumps and a car wash.
Related: Residents push back on Kwik Star proposal
The entire site is now being offered for sale for $1.395 million. The property is zoned Traditional Mixed Use Center, or T-MC, and a new use would potentially not require a public hearing.
Uses for a restaurant, office and commercial bakery are all permitted in that zone district, which had been proposed for the Dunkin’ project, with an accessory drive-through also permitted.
See more photos from the site, below. Photos © Cindy Hadish/Homegrown Iowan
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