Historic 120-Year-Old Iowa Building Destroyed by Fire [PHOTOS/VIDEO]

An Iowa building that had been on the National Register of Historic Places for more than 40 years has been devasted by fire.

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Monday, a blaze broke out at a historic Iowa building. Sadly, all that's left is the shell of what was an impressive structure. One that had been a point of community pride for 120 years. I'll show you photos of what this incredible building looked like prior to the fire later in this story, but first what happened earlier this week.

The fire broke out Monday afternoon, April 24, in Mason City. A number of fire departments responded to the scene. One of those was the Rockwell Community Fire Department. Some of their photos are below:

As you can see, the building was fully engulfed in flames:

The fire was attacked from ground level and from aerial trucks:

What's left behind is a shell of what once was known as The Kirk or Kirk Apartments at 206 N Federal Avenue in Mason City.

The building was completed in 1903 by a Mason City man named Horace P. Kirk. He was a photographer and was also among the founders of the Commercial Savings Bank, eventually becoming the bank's president. The city's first luxury residential structure, Kirk Apartments was built with a steam-generating plant that created not only its own heat, but light and water for the building as well.

The amazing building had mahogany paneling and oak and maple floors, an arched entry (visible above), windows clad in copper, and iron balconies. The balconies were put to good use in this 1909 photo:

A total of 44 people were living in Kirk Apartments at the time of Monday's fire. Thankfully, they all survived. Unfortunately, an unconfirmed number of pets were killed.