William Phillip Coast
1841-1907. Downtown clothier (1890-07), library trustee (1896-07), helped promote Iowa City Public Library development, chaired building committee for the Carnegie building (1903-4), helped prepare staff and user rules, and was a dedicated speaker. An Ohio native educated at Oberlin, later at UI, Coast came to Iowa City in 1854, amassed wealth in real estate, and in 1890 opened Coast & Sons clothing and tailoring at 10-12 S. Clinton St., using the motto: “From Coast to Coast No Better Clothes Than Coasts.” Sons Preston and William operated it after their father’s death, and closed it in 1933, victim of the Great Depression.