A piece of Mount Pleasant’s history is set to come down. The P.E.O. Memorial Building, a nearly 100-year-old structure on the former Iowa Wesleyan University campus, is slated for demolition in the coming months.
The Mount Pleasant Community School District, which purchased the campus earlier this year, says the building no longer fits into its long-term plans. Built in 1927, the four-story building originally served as the national headquarters for the P.E.O. Sisterhood, a women’s philanthropic group that was actually founded on the Wesleyan campus back in 1869.
After the P.E.O. organization moved its headquarters in 1951, the building was turned over to Iowa Wesleyan and later used as an administrative office until the university closed in 2023.
Superintendent John Hendrickson says the decision wasn’t taken lightly, but the building’s age, deteriorating upper façade, and lack of accessibility made repurposing it too costly and impractical. Demolition is expected to cost around $350,000, and the district says the space will most likely be converted into parking.
While the future of the site is moving forward, for many in Mount Pleasant, the building remains a symbol of the town’s educational and philanthropic legacy.
