Bregant Home
a big history.

About 1906, Jean and Inez operated the neighborhood store owned by Inez’ parents and located on North 8th Street in Council Bluffs. On one occasion, while at the John G. Woodward and Company factory ordering candy for the store, Jean and Inez met John Woodward. Sometime after, Mr. Woodward hired Jean and Inez to represent the company and by 1907, they were known as the “Candy Kids”. For seven years, they traveled across many states, demonstrating and selling “Woodward Candy” and handing out postcards featuring their likeness, as advertising for John G. Woodward and Company.

In the summer of 1905, Jean Bregant and Inez Lewis were actors in the same Vaudeville troupe at Coney Island, New York. The story goes… Jean invited Inez to dine with him one evening and they became engaged shortly thereafter. They traveled to Council Bluffs and were married on Christmas Eve, 1905; she was 17, he was 35. They continued to work in Vaudeville as a couple, before returning to Council Bluffs in 1906.


The Bregant house is located on the east side of the street at 517 4th Street, Council Bluffs, Iowa.

As previously stated, the house was custom designed to fulfill the special needs of the Bregants; you will find that the light switches, door knobs and medicine cabinet are a bit lower than most homes. The home’s walls are of finished plaster and were always covered in wallpaper; several layers were removed during the restoration. All of the home’s wood floors have been refinished, and wallpapers have been replaced and the beveled glass windows and doors restored. Both the living room and dining room feature picture molding just below the ceilings. We do know that the Bregants had average-sized furniture to accommodate their guests.








Preserve Council Bluffs is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote and preserve the heritage of Council Bluffs through its architecture, sites, and people.
© 2021 Preserve Council Bluffs | All Rights Reserved
Learn More