The JC Penney’s at 542 W Broadway was a consistent presence in Council Bluffs for over 40 years. The JC Penney’s partially inhabited the property starting in 1934 before taking over the entire building in the 1940’s. The JC Penney’s closed in 1976 and was taken over by the Furniture Disposal Factory until 1981. It was left vacant until 1984 when it was taken over by the Hite Center. The active use of the property ended with a fire in 1989 and subsequent demolition. Over the course of the property’s history two murals were painted on the West Side Wall of the building.
The first mural painted on 542 W Broadway was based on a design by Marcia Joffe-Bouska and painted in September 1979. Joffe-Bouska’s balloon design was chosen by the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce after submitting her design the previous year. Joffe-Bouska’s goal for the mural was to “be hopeful, whimsical, and colorful” stating that area as “a real depressing stretch of town. Balloons could brighten it up.” (Nonpareil 09-13-1979) The design for the mural changed several times throughout the painting process due to both budgetary limitations and the building itself.
The mural’s dedication ceremony took place on September 23, 1979. At the ceremony, Joffe-Bouska credited Viva Kavan and Sora Kimberlain, the painters of the mural, for their help with the revisions to the mural’s design. The ceremony was supposed to be accompanied by the release of 500 helium balloons but they arrived after the ceremony had ended. Local mime Jay Cady provided entertainment for the event by juggling for the audience. This mural would stay until 1984 when Fred and Dee Hite, owners of the O.G. Craft Shop, purchased the property to open the Hite Center.
The Hite’s purchase of the property led to questions about the future of the mural, which had overtime begun to fade and peel. The Hite’s were impartial on what to do with the mural stating, “We’re neutral- we can go either way. I’d kind of like to know how the people feel.” (Nonpareil 09-09-1984) In 1985, the decision was made by Fred Hite to paint over the mural with a collage focused on scenes and people from Council Bluffs’ history.
The mural was sponsored by the Council Bluffs Jaycees and supported by donations from local organizations. The design was a collaboration between Jaycees’ President Lee Torneten and former ship painter/artist Mike Branigan. Branigan hoped that the mural would, “restore a little more pride into the downtown area.” (Nonpareil 03-26-1985) The 40 foot by 30 foot mural was completed on August 21, 1985 after 4 months and 350 hours of work by Branigan, who had done the work for free. Branigan was supported by two $100 donations from the Council Bluffs Business Association and the Services League, along with free food and drink from “Taco John's, Burger King, Bishops’ Barn’Rds and Amigos.” (Nonpareil 08-22-1985) The mural would stay for four years until a fire would severely damage the Hite Center in August 1989.
On the afternoon of August 19th 1989 a fire started on the third floor of the Hite Center. The fire would burn for two hours before being extinguished, resulting in extensive damage to the structure. An investigation of the fire found that it was started by “cigarette material on a mattress in a sleeping room on the building's third floor” (08-30-1989). Three area teachers were charged with reckless use of fire and criminal trespass in connection with the blaze. The fire led to the local police spot checking vacant buildings in the area to avoid similar situations. In response to the fire, Mike Branigan was quoted saying, “It’s a shame. A lot of people are despondent over another loss. Soon they (the older buildings of Council Bluffs) will all be gone.” (08-22-1989) The building was quickly demolished with the process starting in October of the same year. The mural wall would be taken down in November of 1989. The demolition of the Hite Center would be part of the larger demolition project of the Beno-Wickham building in September 1989. The demolition was fully completed with the lot being cleared and a new sidewalk added in 1992. After the demolition the vacant lot was one of the proposed sites to build the new Council Bluffs Library, but it was not chosen to be the new location. The property is now the parking lot on the East side of the Cohen building.
