The Hotel Kirkwood, also known as the Kirkwood Civic Center Hotel, is a historic building located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The building was designed by the Chicago architectural firm of H.L. Stevens & Company and built in 1930. With its completion it became the largest hotel along Fourth Street between Walnut Street and Court Avenue, along Des Moines' "Hotel Row." It also marked the emergence of the skyscraper hotel in the downtown area. The new hotel replaced a previous Hotel Kirkwood that had been built on the same location in 1862. It was located near Union Station and the Rock Island Depot. Developers and owners of the 1930 Hotel Kirkwood were E.F. Tagney and S.F. McGinn. Art Deco details are found in the building's massing, the sleek exterior geometrical detailing, and treatment of the cornice. The 12-story brick structure rises to a height of 133 feet (41 m). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. The building has subsequently been converted into an apartment building called "The Kirkwood."
The Cass County Courthouse in Atlantic, Iowa, United States, was built in 1934 as the first courthouse in the state built with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA). It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 as a part of the PWA-Era County Courthouses of Iowa Multiple Properties Submission. The courthouse is the third structure to house court functions and county administration.
The Chautauqua Park Historic District is located on the north side of Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1990. It is part of the Suburban Development in Des Moines Between the World Wars, 1918--1941 MPS.
The Wherry Block, also known as Wherry's Hall, Scruby Brothers Grocery, and Scruby's Grocery Store, is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States.
The Hubbell Building is a historic building located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. It has been featured on the Discovery Channel show Dirty Jobs.
The Sherman Hill Historic District is located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in Des Moines. Single-family houses were constructed beginning around 1880 and multi-family dwellings were built between 1900 and 1920. The district encompasses 80 acres (0.32 km2) and 210 buildings and is bounded by 15th Street to the East, High Street to the South, Martin Luther King Parkway on the West, and School Street to the North. The historic district has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979.
The Ayrshire Apartments is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It was built in 1920 as a fireproof apartment hotel. The three-story building was designed in the Tudor Revival style, represented by the half-timbering on the third floor. All 36 units include a kitchenette, a Murphy bed in the living room, and a built-in clothes closet. The end units on each floor are larger than the interior units and they include a solarium. The building is located on Sixth Avenue, which by the turn of the 20th century had become a major route utilized by vehicular traffic and streetcar lines. Its proximity to this transportation corridor illustrates the emergence of higher and denser residential use in these areas of Des Moines. The apartment building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996 as a part of the Towards a Greater Des Moines MPS.
The Herring Motor Car Company Building, also known as 10th Street Lofts, is a historic building located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The building is a six-story brick structure that rises 90 feet (27 m) above the ground. It was designed by the Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson in the Classical Revival style. Clyde L. Herring had the building built in 1912 and it was completed the following year. It was originally a four-story building and two more floors were added 18 months after it was originally built. By 1915 the company was building 32 Ford automobiles a day, and had delivered “more automobiles than any other one automobile agency in the United States”. Along with the neighboring Standard Glass and Paint Company Building it is part of the same loft apartment complex. The National Biscuit Company Building on the other side of the building has also been converted into an apartment building. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
The Lexington, also known as Lexington Apartments, is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The five-story brick structure on a raised basement was completed in 1908 as the city's first high-rise apartment building. It was designed and built by local architect-builder Fred Weitz. The exterior features a Colonial Revival style entrance with a recessed door, arched fanlight, and engaged Doric style columns that support the pediment. Wrought iron balconies are located on the two floors above the entrance. On the interior there are two apartments on every floor, and they originally featured servant's quarters. They have subsequently been converted into other purposes. The upper floors are served by a large, open-cage brass elevator. The building purportedly had paranormal activity involving its elevator. It was renovated between 2012 and 2014. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The building was included as a contributing property in the Sherman Hill Historic District in 1979. It is currently owned by the Allen Family Trust.
The Walter A. Sheaffer House, also known as the Craig & Margaret Abolt House, is a historic residence located in Fort Madison, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. The listing includes two structures, the main house and the garage cottage.
The Susie P. Turner Double House is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. This two-story duplex features a symmetrical facade, brick in various colors, decorative cast stone, and a fullwidth front porch that is supported by three brick columns. Built in 1914, its significance is its combination of Prairie School architecture and American Craftsman styling. At the time it was constructed the double house was still a somewhat uncommon building type in Des Moines. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
The Methodist Deaconess Institute—Esther Hall, also known as Hawthorn Hill Apartments, is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. This building has been known by a variety of titles. They include the Bible Training School, Women's Foreign Missionary Society; Women's Home Missionary Society-Bible Training School; Iowa National Bible Training School; Iowa National Esther Hall & Bidwell Deaconess Home; Hawthorn Hill; and Chestnut Hill. The Women's Home Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church established a Des Moines affiliate in 1896. Part of their responsibilities was to oversee the work of deaconesses of the church. At about the same time a Bible training school was established at Iowa Methodist Hospital's School of Nursing.
Kromer Flats, also known as the Drummond Apartments, is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. This 2½-story, brick structure was completed in 1905. It features Renaissance Revival design elements, a flat roof, orange-yellow brick, cast concrete trim, four oriel windows on the main facade, two level porches in the rear, a two-story bay on both the north and south elevations, and three air shafts that penetrate the buildings from the rear. It originally had four apartments on each floor. The building is located on Sixth Avenue, which by the turn of the 20th century had become a major route utilized by vehicular traffic and streetcar lines. Its proximity to this transportation corridor illustrates the emergence of higher and denser residential use in this area of Des Moines. It is also significant for its association with the Des Moines architectural firm of Liebbe, Nourse & Rasmussen who designed it. The apartment building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
The New Lawn is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. This three-story, brick structure was completed in 1915. It features seven units, an U-shaped plan, a symmetrical facade with projecting wings, polychrome brick veneer, a series of quadruple ribbon windows, and a flat roof. The building is located on Sixth Avenue, which by the turn of the 20th century had become a major route utilized by vehicular traffic and streetcar lines. Its proximity to this transportation corridor illustrates the emergence of higher and denser residential use in this area of Des Moines. The apartment building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
The Norman Apartment Building is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. This three-story brick structure was the first of five apartment buildings, housing 60 families, that Drake University planned to build near its campus. They would be controlled by the university's board of trustees. The Norman and the more modest McCoy Apartments were the only two buildings constructed. The building features two shades of tan brick, a considerable amount of Gothic Revival limestone trim, a Tudor arched entry, medieval lettering on a name plaque between the second and third floors, and ogee arches on some windows. The building's significance is related to the "University's growth and development and the effect its financial policies had on nearby settlement." It is also significant for its association with the prominent Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot & Bird who designed it. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
The Hawkeye Insurance Company Building is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Completed in 1869, the building housed the first successful casualty insurance company in the city, which grew to be the largest center for insurance companies outside of the east coast. Prominent local architect William Foster designed the building, and it may be the oldest surviving example of his work. It is also the oldest commercial building in the downtown area that maintains its original integrity.
The Apperson Iowa Motor Car Company Building, also known as the Garage Building for Rawson Brothers, is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It is significant for its association with the prominent Des Moines architectural firm that designed it, Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson. Completed in 1921, it was designed and built within the period of time the firm was at its most prolific (1910-1925). It is also significant for its association with the rise of the Automobile Industry in the city. Auto dealerships and distributorships leased the building from 1921 to 1951. Architect Harry D. Rawson and his brothers owned the building from 1921 to 1938. The two-story structure is located on a midblock lot in the midst of what was the automobile sales, service, and manufacturing district on the western edge of the downtown area. The first floor housed a showroom in the front with offices on a mezzanine. The back of the first floor and the second floor was used for assembling and servicing automobiles. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
The Des Moines Fire Department Headquarters' Fire Station No. 1 and Shop Building are historic buildings located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Completed in 1937, the facility provided a unified campus for the fire department's administration, citywide dispatch, training, maintenance, as well as the increased need for fire protective services in the commercial and warehouse districts in which the complex is located. It was designed by the Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot, Rawson, Brooks and Borg, and built by local contractor F.B. Dickinson & Co. The project provided jobs for local residents during the Great Depression, and 45% of its funding was provided by the Public Works Administration (PWA). The City of Des Moines provided the rest of the funds. The radio tower, which shares the historic designation with the building, was used to dispatch fire personnel from 1958 to 1978. The buildings were used by the local fire department from 1937 to 2013. It was replaced by two different facilities. The old fire station and shop building was acquired by the Des Moines Social Club, a nonprofit arts organization.
The Elmwood-The Oaks-The Birches, also known as the Grand Trees Apartments, are three historic buildings located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The local architectural firm of Vorse, Kraetsch & Kraetsch designed three-story brick structures that were built in 1923. The buildings, which together contain 93 units, are connected by courtyards and stone archways. Above the main entrances are imprints of the trees' leaves - elm, oak, and birch - in the stonework. Parking lots for the apartments are located behind the buildings. A $16.9 million historic renovation was begun in 2021 and will include adding elevators, which the buildings did not have. The buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.
Bryn Mawr Apartments is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Built in 1918, it is significant as an example of the "kitchenette" type apartment building from the early years of the city's apartment boom. Designed by the prominent Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot, Bird and Rawson, "it is representative of the effort to increase profit on residential construction by eliminating the number of rooms in each unit."
