Dwier Brown in “Field of Dreams”
An actor from the movie “Field of Dreams” is buying a historic building in the northeast Iowa town where the 1989 film was shot.
Dwier Brown, who played John Kinsela — the father of Kevin Costner’s character, is purchasing the former Tegeler Dairy in Dyersville.
Jacque Rahe, director of Dyersville Economic Development, says she’s thrilled Brown is the buyer.
“He was looking for a project to do here since he has planned to return here often,” Rahe says. “He’s a lover of old buildings and this building definitely caught his eye.”
Rahe says Brown and his business partner flew out from California to perform a detailed inspection of the two-story brick structure and its attached warehouse.
Tegeler Dairy — Photo courtesy of Dyersville Economic Development Corporation
“They spent a long few days inside the building just freezing, planning how they would do things and what they were going to do to it,” Rahe says. “We’re excited to see what their vision is. They both have quite extensive experience in building renovation.”
She says Brown wants to give back to the town by rescuing this aging relic, which was built in the late 1800s.
“It’s such an iconic structure in our community,” Rahe says. “Everybody has a story about going to Tegeler Dairy for ice cream or getting treats for the baseball team there. It is one of those buildings in Dyersville that has a lot of history and we want to preserve some of that.”
The plan is to turn the building into three unique apartments, along with commercial and riverfront space to lease. Work is slated to begin yet this fall.
Rahe says the project has landed a $100,000 grant from the state’s Community Catalyst Building Remediation Program to help with the renovation.
By Janelle Tucker, KMCH, Manchester