Tindall, Daniel Whittaker 1949-2017

TINDALL, LAMMERS, CROSIER, CARR, WAAG, PLANETA

Posted By: Marilyn Holmes
Date: 6/15/2018 at 16:35:10

The Grinnell (IA) Herald-Register
Jan. 1st & 4th, 2018

DANIEL WHITTAKER TINDALL

Daniel Whittaker Tindall, of Des Moines, Iowa, (formerly of Grinnell, Iowa,) passed away at home on December 21, 2017, at the age of 68. Arrangements are being made for a Celebration of Dan's life to be held sometime in the Spring.

Dan was born in Trenton, N.J. on February 26, 1949, to Harold and Jean Tindall and grew up in Princeton, N.J., where he enjoyed running in the woods, hunting and fishing, training the family hunting dogs with his father, and learning carpentry from his father.

Dan was an accomplished athlete in high school playing baseball and throwing the javelin. His distance record for throwing the javelin still stands at Princeton High School. He earned a full-ride scholarship to Southern Illinois University as a javelin thrower and graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering with a minor in design. Following his graduation, he worked for a short time in the Carbondale, Ill., area before moving to Greeley, Colo., where he was Director of Facilities at AIMS Community College. In 1988 Dan married Kathy (Lammers) Crosier and they relocated to Grinnell, Iowa, where he was hired as Director of Facilities at Grinnell College.

In 1990 Dan returned to school to pursue a Masters Degree in Architecture in Ames, Iowa. His thesis project was the renovation of the Grinnell Depot into a restaurant for then owners, John and Jewel Kintzinger. The Depot Crossing Restaurant is the result of that project.

Upon receiving his Masters Degree, he established his own firm, The Built Environment Inc., and over the years created designs for both residential homes and commercial buildings in Grinnell, Cedar Falls, Newton, Greenfield and Des Moines, Iowa. He was instrumental in the formation of GPIC, a private investment company in Grinnell dedicated to purchasing and rehabilitating downtown buildings in disrepair such as The Strand Movie Theatre and other projects which now provide both retail and upper-story living.

In 2002, Dan and Kathy purchased The Blackhawk Hotel in downtown Cedar Falls, Iowa. During the past 15 years, through his vision, the hotel, which is listed on The National Register of Historic Places, has been transformed from a rundown residential hotel to the centerpiece of downtown Cedar Falls and one of the catalysts that has transformed this area into the dynamic district it is today.

Due to Dan's efforts, the hotel has been the recipient of various awards including 2006 Iowa Architectural Foundation's Community Design Excellence Award; Hotel of the Year in 2009 by the Cedar Falls Tourism Bureau; 2010 Courier Communications Best of the Best, Top Hotel; and 2017 Best Lodging Property Award presented by Iowa Tourism Office, Iowa Economic Development Authority. In addition to the hotel renovation, Dan became heavily involved in the Cedar Falls Community, working on various renovation projects through his architectural firm, co-founding the Cedar Falls Development Group and providing consultant services. He was a member of the Lions Club and served on the Main Street Design Committee and was a board member of The Sartori Hospital Foundation.

Dan's state-wide involvement in Economic Development through historic preservation carried him the Main Street Iowa "Spirit of Main Street Award" in 2013.

Dan's various personal interests included traveling with his wife and family, hanging out with his vintage car club buddies, and antiquing.

Dan was a loving husband and best friend to his wife of 29 years, Kathy; a devoted son to his 103 year-old father, Harold Tindall; an exemplary father to his daughter, Danielle (Tindall) Carr; a loving friend/mentor and stepfather to his step-children, Kevin Crosier, Kimberly (Crosier) Waag, and Jennifer (Crosier) Planeta, and the most fun-loving "Bobbo" to his seven step-grandchildren: Abby, Emily and Ann Crosier; Jacob and Alex Waag; and Kasia and Silvio Planeta.

Dan shown a bright light on all those he knew and he will be missed greatly.

Donations in his name can be made to Mercy Hospice in Des Moines, The Mayflower Homes Human Needs Fund, Grinnell, Iowa, and The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (Pancan.org)