They impressed their neighbors when, using an old photograph as a guide, they rebuilt the second-story sleeping porch that a previous owner had torn down. Because of people like the VanGilders, the Longfellow neighborhood has undergone a renaissance in the last 10 years. When Mike Gunn moved to Sheridan Avenue in 1992, only two of the seven houses in his block were single-family homes. Now all of them are. He also is a member of the Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission.
Beautification is another neighborhood goal.
Every spring, the association organizes a cleanup for Ralston Creek. It also has received grants to plant trees. In 1994, the neighborhood created the Longfellow Nature Trail, complete with prairie grasses and trees. The trail runs along Ralston Creek between Sheridan and the railroad tracks. We feel ownership to this land.