Cedar Rapids Lights Up With Façade Improvements

Each year, the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance facilitates a façade improvement program intended to encourage property and business owners within the Downtown Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District (SSMID) to renovate their building fronts and other exteriors plainly visible to the public.

This year, the Cedar River Tower and Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust utilized the Downtown Façade Improvement Grant to help offset costs for exterior illuminating projects on their properties. Like much in the world of technology, lighting systems and hardware have advanced significantly in recent years.

The Alliant Energy Tower led the way back in 2018, installing modern fixtures that light up their building in the evenings. With these recent additions, there are now five buildings lit brightly in the evening in Downtown, with a handful more in the pipeline. Third Street, Second Street, and First Street West remain lit from the 2020 holiday lighting setup. Along with the 3rd Avenue bridge lights, Alliant Energy’s newly installed energy-efficient streetlights installed throughout downtown, and with these taller buildings illuminated at night, the Downtown Cedar Rapids skyline shines brighter than ever. To learn more about the Downtown façade improvement program, visit www.cedarrapids.org/downtown.