The building was acquired by local attorney Edward F. Rate, who was white, in the 1920s and he continued to rent to African Americans.

[2] Bettye was known for her disciplined residence and did not permit liquor, women in the bedrooms, and tenants were expected to make their beds.

[2] Prior to that there was no history of city ordinances requiring racial segregation in housing, it was just a fact.

In 1979 Bettye Tate sold the building, which had been vacant since 1970, and it was slated for demolition several times until 2014 when it was designated an Iowa City Historic Landmark.

This article about a property in Johnson County, Iowa on the National Register of Historic Places is a stub.