About Us

The Old City Hall in Maquoketa, Iowa was built in 1901 and originally housed the town’s fire station. In 1989, a new City Hall was built across the street, and in 1991 artist Rose Frantzen and her parents, Wayne and Ellen, purchased the Old City Hall. Now it is a fine art gallery, showcasing original oil paintings by Rose, drawings and paintings by her husband, Chuck Morris, photography by Wayne Frantzen, and pottery by Sylvia March. Old City Hall Gallery was a winner of the Tourism and Arts Award presented by the Travel Federation of Iowa and the Iowa Division of Tourism in 2001 and in 2010.  The Portrait of Maquoketa, the 180 12x12 oil paintings of residents of Maquoketa by artist Rose Frantzen of Maquoketa that showed at the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian in Washington DC from Nov. 2009-July 2010 was recognized by the Iowa Tourism & the Travel Federation of Iowa as the outstanding exhibit that drew visitors to Iowa from all over the world.  A book called Portrait of Maquoketa has been published and is available for purchase.  It is being shipped all over the world.  The gallery in Maquoketa  has daily hours open to the public.