EMC Downtown Park

EMC Downtown Park
Type	Urban park
Location	Downtown Des Moines
Coordinates	41°35′8.502″N93°37′33.715″W / 41.58569500°N 93.62603194°W / 41.58569500; -93.62603194
Area	0.397 acres (0.161 ha)
Opened	2023
Owned by	EMC Insurance

EMC Downtown Park is an urban park located in the central business district of Des Moines, Iowa. The park was built after a fire on March 29, 2014, burned down the Younker Brothers Department Store. ^[1] EMC Insurance acquired the property in 2018. It originally planned to expand its headquarters but decided to partner with the city of Des Moines to build a park instead. ^[2]

History

See also: Younker Brothers Department Store

On March 29, 2014, a fire caused the top floors of the Younker Brothers Department Store to burn down. It caused damage to the skywalk and nearby buildings. ^[3] It sat as a vacant lot until 2018, when EMC Insurance acquired the lot. Instead of building office space, the company decided to partner with the city of Des Moines to build a park instead, and proposed an agreement to keep the green space for at least 10 years. ^[4]

The park started construction in 2021, mainly focused for the residents living in downtown. ^[5] On June 1, 2023, the park opened and currently serves 2,400 residents within a 10-minute walk, helping the cities goal to have a park within 10 minutes of every citizen. ^[6] The park includes A half-court basketball court, a pickleball court, playground equipment, a ping-pong table, bags game, and table games (chess/checkers). ^[7]

See also

List of parks in Polk County, Iowa

Downtown Des Moines

References

1. Smith, Ryan (March 30, 2014). "Downtown Younkers building burns, partially collapses". KCCI. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
2. Cotton, Max (June 1, 2023). "New downtown park, Walnut Street open Thursday". WHO 13. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
3. McIntosh, Marcus (March 30, 2024). "10 years later: Looking back at devastating fire at downtown Des Moines Younkers building". KCCI. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
4. Norvell, Kim. "EMC Insurance Cos. plans park at site of former Younkers store in downtown Des Moines". The Des Moines Register . Retrieved September 18, 2025.
5. Buckley, Sarah (July 16, 2021). "EMC Announces Plans for Park in Downtown Des Moines". EMC Insurance. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
6. "New EMC Downtown Park opens in central business district". BusinessRecord. June 1, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
7. "EMC Downtown Park". City of Des Moines . Retrieved September 18, 2025.