MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa — The Mount Pleasant Community School District Board of Education rejected pleas from community members and an offer to repurpose the beloved P.E.O. Memorial building, instead voting to move forward with demolition plans.
Allowing another entity to repurpose the building could save the School District nearly a half-million dollars in demolition costs, but board members voted against a motion to put a pause on demolition bids that would have allowed the district to accept redevelopment proposals.
More than 40 people packed the room for the meeting, during which four people spoke out against the demolition, including one who offered to repurpose it for his business.
Only school district officials spoke in favor of demolishing the 1927 P.E.O. building, a prominent structure on the former Iowa Wesleyan University campus featuring towering Indiana limestone columns, with neo-classic and Beaux-Arts design, most recently used as an administration office for the university. The national P.E.O. Sisterhood was established by seven students at Iowa Wesleyan College in 1869.
The School District has not offered up a request for proposal on any of the buildings of the former Iowa Wesleyan campus, which the district now owns, which would have allowed developers or other interested parties to submit proposals. The district purchased the majority of the campus for $1.1 million after Iowa Wesleyan closed in 2023.
Related: Mount Pleasant demolishes historic gymnasium
Tom Tipton stands to speak against the proposed demolition of the P.E.O. building during the Mount Pleasant School Board meeting. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Board members at the Oct. 13, 2025, school board meeting insisted that discussing the buildings at their own meetings gave enough opportunity for the public to be aware of their plans.
Still, Aaron Williamson made a motion to table bid discussion for the P.E.O. demolition for three months, during which time interested parties could submit proposals for the building, which Mike Hampton seconded, amending the motion to Jan. 1. While board President Angie Blint claimed Hampton’s second was not valid for Williamson’s motion, the board eventually voted against a measure to delay the demolition bids.
Board members Melinda Huisinga, Josh Maher, Derek Mullin, Mark Overberg and Blint voted against the delay, which could have allowed time to accept alternative proposals, while Williamson and Hampton voted in favor of the delay, citing potential cost-savings of more than $400,000 for the demolition and associated work, as well as acknowledging public interest in saving the iconic building.
The board also voted to move forward on a contract for asbestos abatement with Hiawatha-based Active Thermal Concepts for $47,575, with only Williamson voting against the measure. Removing asbestos will likely damage the P.E.O. building’s roof and the interior, leaving it less likely to be repurposed.
The cornerstone of the P.E.O. building in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, notes the building’s history. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Lea Bradley, Mike Heaton and others who spoke against the demolition and were among dozens of people to show support for saving the building, said they were not part of a formal coalition, but shared a common interest in preserving the city’s historic structures.
Architect Thomas McInerney, who was hired by the district for $26,600 to provide design services for the demolition project, claimed the building has become a liability. He cited a portion of the exterior facade that needs repair.
School Board members will review the P.E.O. demolition bids on Oct. 27. School Superintendent John Henriksen said the demolition itself is expected to cost up to $425,000. Plans call for a parking lot on the site, near a large, already existing parking lot.
The School Board meeting was held in the same week that the Mount Pleasant Historic Preservation Commission is hosting a public meeting to discuss a proposed Downtown Historic District, located just blocks from the former Iowa Wesleyan campus. The meeting, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, will be held at the Union Block, 111 W. Monroe St.
More: See photos from the Iowa Wesleyan auction
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