Jacob E. Decker (1849-1921) was the president and owner of Decker Packing Plant of Mason City. He came to America with his parents, Louis and Ann (Boecking) Decker in 1852. Jacob married in Chicago, Illinois, Augusta Schram of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on September 24, 1873. Jacob and Augusta were the parents of two sons and two daughters, Maude L. (Decker) Dunlop, Gertrude Decker, Ralph W. E. Decker and Jay E. Decker.

The Decker family purchased the Neo-classical house from Irving W. Keerl. Mr. Keerl had the house constructed in 1894. E. R. [Edward Randall] Bogardus (1850-1927), a self-taught and renown Mason City architect, designed the residence.

The home was later purchased (2002) by the Mason City Foundation and was renovated for over one million dollars as a bed and breakfast, which continues to be a popular getaway today. The Keerl-Decker House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places December 20, 2002.

Globe Gazette
Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
August 17, 2011, by Kristin Buehner

MASON CITY — The Decker House Bed and Breakfast, which opened May 17, 2002, will close Sept. 30, owners Lee Olson and Fredde Jilek announced.

Sept. 30 is the date the owners’ 10-year lease is up with The Mason City Foundation, Olson said Wednesday. The business has been for sale for two years.

“It has nothing to do with business,” Olson said. “We’re making more money than we ever did. It’s because we’re old and we want to retire.”

David Vikturek, chief executive officer of The Mason City Foundation, said the Decker House, located at 119 Second St. S.E., had its best year ever in 2010. “And this year they’re way ahead of last year.”

The foundation will offer “very friendly lease terms” to an entrepreneur wanting to operate the Decker House, Vikturek said.

“We think having a bed and breakfast option in Mason City is good for the city,” he said. “It is a very good fit for the motor coach tours we get here.”

The Mason City Foundation purchased the Decker House in 2000 and restored it at a cost of $1.2 million.

The house features quarter-sewn oak woodwork, walnut wainscoting, a widow’s walk, second- floor balcony, high ceilings, wrap-around porch and hardwood floors.

Six rooms are available for occupancy, including a third-floor suite and a handicapped-accessible room with private bath on the main floor.

Olson and Jilek also operate the Sour Grapes Bistro in the lower level of the three-story house.

If a prospective owner were to surface before Sept. 30, he or she could purchase the furnishings “and walk in here tomorrows and start the business,” Olson said. “Everything’s here.”

Jilek and Olson will take room reservations and have bus tours lined up through September.

The business is a great way to meet celebrities, Olson said.

Among guests who have stayed at the Decker House are former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, actress Shirley Jones and husband Marty Ingels and Rosemary Willson, widow of Meredith Willson.

Peter Griffin, grand-nephew of renowned Prairie School architect Walter Burley Griffin, stayed at the Decker House while in Mason City for a meeting of the Walter Burley Griffin Society of America, Jilek said.

The first guests to stay in the B & B were Meredith Willson’s relatives from Stuttgart, Germany, who were in town for activities planned in connection with the 100th birthday anniversary of Meredith Willson in 2002.

One of the first major events at the Decker House was a cocktail reception for Shirley Jones and Marty Ingels.

“Another time we did a late-night supper for Shirley Jones after she performed at NIACC,” Olson said.

B & B guests have come from all over the world, including London, Australia, Germany, Japan, Russia and Thailand.

“The clientele we get is just extraordinary,” Olson said. “We’ve had weddings, funeral receptions, baptisms, life celebrations, the whole gamut. It’s been so much fun.”

The Sour Grapes Bistro, which opened June 1, 2002, offers homemade soups, sandwiches and an entree. Homemade breads, desserts and salad dressings are served.

It is open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and at other times by reservation.

During September, Sour Grapes Bistro will be open by reservation only.

The 1894 Victorian Neoclassical house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the former home of Jay Decker, son of the founder of the Jacob E. Decker & Sons meatpacking plant in Mason City.

“We hate closing it at this time,” Olson said. “Mason City is booming. We want somebody in here so bad. Mason City needs what we have to offer.”

Unless a buyer comes forward first, Olson and Jilek will sell the Decker House furnishings they own at auction Oct. 1.

For information about purchasing the Decker House business, including the furnishings, call the Decker House B & B at 641-423-4700.

To inquire about leasing the Decker House, call The Mason City Foundation at 641-421-7893.

Globe Gazette
Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
October 17, 2011, by John Skipper

MASON CITY — Tom Ballmer and his wife, Sally Pressly, will take over operations of the Decker House Bed and Breakfast, 119 Second St. S.E.

Pressly said they will continue to operate it as a bed-and-breakfast. They will also use it to host their own events and will offer it for private parties.

The property is owned by the Mason City Foundation. Ballmer and Pressly will lease it, said Ballmer.

Pressly said they will not reopen the Sour Grapes Bistro, a restaurant that had been in the basement of the building.

Sophie Ballmer, the couple’s daughter, will be the live-in manager but Pressley said parents and daughter all consider themselves “innkeepers.”

They are planning a public open house from 2 to 5 p.m. Dec. 4.

Pressly said they have already booked some events for December.

The Decker House is a 1894 neoclassical house and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was the home of Jay Decker, son of the founder of the Jacob E. Decker & Sons meatpacking plant in Mason City.

Lee Olson and Freddie Jilek operated the bed-and breakfast from May 17, 2002, to Sept. 30. It has been for sale for two years.

Anyone seeking further information on lodging or event planning should call 641-423-4700.