Charles Granger Blanden had been the mayor of Fort Dodge from 1887 – 1889.   He later became a banker in Chicago, and subsequently devoted his time to creating poetry.  He was renowned for his poetry, receiving many awards throughout the United States.  Mr. Blanden’s wife Elizabeth was a teacher in Fort Dodge when they lived here.  She was the daughter of a Fort Dodge clergyman, Reverend Mills, one time pastor of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.   Later in their lives they moved to California and in 1929, Mrs. Blanden passed away suddenly and unexpectedly.  
 Mr. Blanden wanted to something to honor his wife’s life and decided to build an art museum, but he wasn’t sure if he should build it in Fort Dodge or in San Diego, California.     A group of ladies that lived in Fort Dodge in the late 1920’s really wanted Mr. Blanden to build the museum here.  But at that time, there was a state law that only allowed cities with a population of 50,000 or more people to have a municipal museum.  Fort Dodge had around 30,000 people living in it at that time, not enough for a municipal museum.    A State Senator from Fort Dodge helped the group and through the Iowa government system, sponsored a law that lowered the population requirement to 20,000 – this way; Fort Dodge could build a museum.     The Blanden Memorial Art Museum was designed by architect E. O. Damon, Jr., of Fort Dodge in 1931 and was modeled after the neo-classical design of the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio.  The façade (front) of the Blanden was influenced by the architectural design of other builds, such as the Petit Trianon at Versailles near Paris, France.  At the time of the Blanden Memorial Art Musuem’s opening, there were not light fixtures in the galleries, so skylights open to the outside were on the ceilings.  These have since been covered, and special light fixtures added that better protect the artwork.   The Blanden Memorial Art Museum continues to be a vibrant art museum in northwest Iowa today.  It has multiple exhibits each year, art classes for adults and children, creative community outreach and artist talks throughout the year.  The Blanden permanent collection includes the Ann R. Smeltzer Modernist collection of European and American painting and sculpture, the Harold D. Peterson collection of European and American prints, American photography, contemporary American art, Iowa artists and Japanese screens and prints.  The Blanden’s mission continues to be to integrate visual arts into everyday life.   Sources: *Fort Dodge Messenger *www.blanden.org *Webster County Historical Society

Fort Dodge, Iowa

Celebrating Our Rich History and Culture

Iconic Buildings

Blanden Art Museum

Boston Centre

HISTORY

Carnegie Library

Carver Building

First National Bank/Beh Building

Fort Dodge Armory

Laramar Ballroom

Municipal Building

Sears Building

Snell Building

Wahkonsa Hotel

Warden Plaza Building

Webster County Courthouse