We are extremely proud to announce that 2023 marks the 100^th year of continuous practice of architecture for ATURA in North Iowa. Although our firm has seen many changes throughout the last century, one thing that has remained constant is our commitment to providing creative, appropriate, and user-focused design solutions which enhance the human experience.

We pour our passion for design into every project, no matter the size or scope. This was evident from our very first endeavor – the design of a “Comfort Station” in Central Park in downtown Mason City. This project provided public restrooms to Central Park that were uniquely built entirely underground. Despite the facility’s quite commonplace function and meager size, the design was rich with Neoclassical architectural details, including the above-ground entrances. Which were made from ornate Composite-style column lamps. Although the initial structure has since been replaced, many of the architectural details remain to pay homage to the original design.

While we came from humble beginnings, we continued on to be involved in many more projects, great and small, over the past 100 years. From the iconic Surf Ballroom to the historic Mason City Airport to the recently completed Clear Lake Athletics and Wellness Center, we are proud that our fingerprints can be seen throughout architecture all over North Iowa.

Our firm was originally founded in 1923 when Harry P. Hansen and Karl M. Waggoner came from Waterloo to open an architectural office in Mason City (Hanson + Waggoner). Karl’s son, Thomas Waggoner joined the firm in 1954 becoming a partner in 1958 (Waggoner + Waggoner), and would eventually take over as the firm’s Principal Architect. The firm would evolve over the next few decades, changing names as other architects partnered with Thomas: Waggoner + Mahaffey + Bowman (1972), Waggoner + Associates (1991), and Waggoner + Wineinger (1996). The firm was eventually incorporated in 2002 as Waggoner & Wineinger Architects, Inc. (WWA), and in 2012, became a division of Dean Snyder Construction (DSC) of Clear Lake, Iowa. In 2018 WWA absorbed DSC Design Group and together rebranded to become ATURA architecture. Now located in Clear Lake, IA with satellite offices in Ankeny, IA, and Omaha, NE, ATURA continues to provide architectural services for both the public and private sectors independent of DSC.