A&W Family Restaurant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

[Lucas Daniel Smith]

A couple of days ago on June 25, 2013 the Cedar Rapids City Council agreed with the city's Flood Recovery Committee and voted unanimously to demolish the 2008-flood damaged A&W Family Restaurant which is located at 1136 Ellis Blvd. NW (corner of Ellis Boulevard NW and K Avenue NW) in the Time Check neighborhood.

Here's picture of the A&W Family Restaurant taken during the 2008 flood when all but the roof was underwater:

A&W Cedar Rapids Iowa flood.jpg

Here's a picture that was taken approximately one year after the 2008 flood:

A & W CR after.jpg

Over the course of the last five years lots of Cedar Rapidians have tried to save the A&W and have it brought back to life. The A&W was almost added to a list of historical sites in Cedar Rapids that would be saved from demolition. Additionally, a developer named Baron Stark (of Stark Real Estate Holdings, Inc.) had a plan to renovate the A&W but funding, private funding, did not come through.

Cedar Rapids City Council member Don Karr said, "We looked at every avenue."

The A&W in Cedar Rapids will soon be gone forever.


Postscript: To be fair I must add that there is, sort of (its a tiny segment in a gas station, lol), another A&W, in Cedar Rapids which is located out by the Eastern Iowa Airport just off of Interstate 380. Here's a couple pictures:

A & W CR airport.jpg

A & W CR airport 2.jpg

[AMERICAN ADVOCATE]

LUCAS , thank you for posting this info about A & W restaurants . I spent many happy hours at the
drive - in A & W 's while sitting in my PONTIAC BONNEVILLE convertible and my GRAND PRIX convertible
and eating the great burgers plus drinking a root beer float . I was very sad when they closed all the drive ins
but they are back strong now , located with other fast food joints . When the first one in West Palm Beach
opened . I bought 3 cases of the glass mugs to give as gifts . The root beer is not so good , but the
tradition is wonderful .