The building was constructed in 1908 on the corner of E. 2nd Street and Sycamore Street as the German-American Savings Bank. The bank occupied the main storefront with mostly offices on the floors above. In fact, this building was one of the first multi-level office buildings constructed in Muscatine. Office space was primarily occupied by professionals such as doctors, lawyers, insurance, and other businesses. Limited retail and private residences also occupied the building. This type of mixed use was prevalent for most of its history.
The German-American Savings Bank remained in the building until 1934. After 1934, various commercial businesses moved in, such as the Gladstein’s Furniture Mart and Western Auto Store. In 1956 the building name changed to the Medical Arts Building, maintaining a focus on the professional businesses that occupied the floors.
In 2015 the building was bought by Point Above, LLC, owned by Dr. Brad and Candice Bark.
Starting in 2015, Point Above began updating the building which was spurred on by a grant offered by the city of Muscatine for exterior building improvements. Updates started with the exterior with tuck pointing the west and south faces of the building and replacing all the windows to their original size. Each floor on the interior of the building was gutted out and built to suit the professional businesses that would occupy the space. The top floor was designated residential space and two apartments were constructed. The building renovation was completed in 2018.
Point Above is proud to show off the beautiful details of this historic building by incorporating the old wooden supports and the bank vault doors into the design of the commercial and residential spaces. By keeping the old and adding a modern flavor to the design, the building is revived to stand apart like it did back in 1908 when it was originally built.