Sweet! Dunkin’ Adding Fourth Cedar Rapids Location

Dunkin' is preparing to bring their tasty drinks and treats to another area of Cedar Rapids.

Dunkin' opened its first Cedar Rapids location on Blairs Ferry NE in the fall of 2013. Since then, stores have been added on both Edgewood Road SW and Earhart Lane SW, east of the Eastern Iowa Airport off Wright Brothers Blvd.

The city's fourth Dunkin' will be in the building that was once home to Western Fraternal Life Association at 1900 1st Avenue NE. It was built as the headquarters for the association in 1958 and is located across 1st Avenue from Weland Clinical Laboratories, as you can see in the photo below. Save CR Heritage says it is made of five different types of stone.

The location is where Kwik Star unveiled plans to build a new convenience store last year. In early October, Kwik Star said the project would not be moving forward.

According to Medium, the approximate-15,000 square foot building will be remodeled and have Dunkin' on the ground floor with a bakery and offices for Eastern Iowa Food Service (EIFC) in the basement. EIFC is responsible for the Dunkin' franchises in the corridor.

Andrea Farley of Eastern Iowa Food Service told Medium,

"We have been eager to get on this side of town for years. This is an ideal site, with a stunning building." Farley also says the specific timeline for the opening of the new Dunkin' hasn't been decided but that it should be within a year.

This area of 1st Avenue will certainly be busy over the next several years, with work beginning on the first of two Douglas on First buildings at 1953 1st Avene SE. A permit for the foundation of the first building was issued by the City of Cedar Rapids last month. According to OPN Architects, construction on the second 24-unit condominium will start in 2023.