| Beaconsfield Supply Store | |
| Location: | Beaconsfield, Iowa |
| Coordinates: | 40.8075°N -94.0503°W |
| Built: | 1916 |
| Added: | May 24, 2007 |
| Refnum: | 07000451 |
The Beaconsfield Supply Store is a one-story brick building in rural Ringgold County, Iowa, United States.[1] Built in 1916, it became the birthplace of the Hy-Vee chain of stores when Charles Hyde and David Vredenburg opened a general store together in 1930.[2] The building was later used for a variety of purposes, including a telephone exchange. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.[3]
The building serves as the community center for Beaconsfield, which, with 15 residents as of 2021,[4] has been described as the second smallest incorporated city in Iowa.[5]
In late 1929, the founders of Hy-Vee paid $3,000 to buy the building, which had previously housed a dry goods store that failed during the stock market crash.[6] It served as a retail store until 1956, when a local phone company took ownership.[7]
In 2021, it was named one of the most endangered historic sites in Iowa.[8]