U.S. Post Office | |
Location | 2nd and Walnut Sts., Des Moines, Iowa |
---|---|
Coordinates | 41°35′12.2″N93°37′8.3″W / 41.586722°N 93.618972°W |
Built | 1909-1910 |
Architect | James Knox Taylor |
Part of | Civic Center Historic District (ID88001168) |
NRHP reference No. | 74002323 [1] |
Added to NRHP | November 19, 1974 |
The United States Post Office is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. [1] It became a contributing property of the Civic Center Historic District when it was established in 1988. It now houses administrative offices for Polk County.
Prior to the opening of this building the post office was located in the old Federal Building at Fifth and Court Avenues, beginning in 1870. A $150,000 appropriation was approved by the United States Congress in legislation passed in 1902 for property for a new post office. [2] A further appropriation was passed in 1904 and in 1906 the first of three appropriations for constructing the building was passed. The building was designed by James Knox Taylor of the United States Treasury Department staff in 1908 and construction began the following year. The building was completed in 1910 for $488,016.67. [2] The post offices was the second building constructed in the Civic Center district and the first structure the federal government provided as part of the City Beautiful Movement project in the city of Des Moines.
The post office moved their operations into the building in the spring of 1910. By 1925 the building was becoming too small to house postal operations. The Des Moines architectural firm of Wetherell & Harrison drew up plans in the early 1930s for a large addition to the south, but no money was appropriated for it. Plans for a smaller addition were approved in 1934 and completed the following year. There were plans for another addition to the south, but it was never built. However, a smaller addition, which was torn down in the 1970s, was subsequently built. The post office moved their operations from this building to a larger facility at Second and University Avenues in 1971. The building sat empty until the late 1970s when it was acquired by Polk County. They in turn renovated the building for their use as an office building, which was designed by the Des Moines architectural firm of Woodburn & O'Neil. The north lobby of the building is preserved and used as a public place for art and historical exhibits. It is known as the Polk County Heritage Gallery.
The former post office building is similar in design to the Municipal Court Building across the Des Moines River, which was designed and built at the same time. [2] Both the original building and the 1935 addition are steel frame structures faced with limestone and built on a granite base. It features large semi-circular arched windows, tall smooth columns, simple entablature, massing, materials, and classical detail. The addition continues the massing and restrained design of the original building in a simplified manner that was more popular in the 1930s. The county created a promenade entranceway on the south side of the building when they renovated the structure in the late 1970s.
The Fort Des Moines Provisional Army Officer Training School was a military base and training facility on the south side of Des Moines, Iowa. Established in 1901, the base is notable as the place where African Americans were trained to be officers for the U.S. Army during World War I, and where women first began training for US Army service in 1942 as part of the Women's Army Corps. Surviving older portions of the base were declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974 in recognition of this history. The fort property was turned over to the city in the 1950s, and has since been put a number of public and private uses.
St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, is located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It is the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as St. Paul's Episcopal Church.
The Des Moines County Court House located in Burlington, Iowa, United States, was built in 1940. 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 fourth structure to house court functions and county administration.
The Audubon County Court House is located in the county seat of Audubon, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 as a part of the PWA-Era County Courthouses of IA Multiple Properties Submission. The courthouse is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration.
The Warren County Courthouse is located in Indianola, Iowa, United States. The courthouse that was built in 1939 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 2003 as a part of the PWA-Era County Courthouses of IA Multiple Properties Submission. It was the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration. The building was demolished in the summer of 2019 and removed from the NRHP in September of the same year. A new courthouse and justice center is expected to be completed in 2022.
The Scott County Courthouse in Davenport, Iowa, United States was built from 1955 to 1956 and extensively renovated over a ten-year period between 1998 and 2009. It is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration. It is part of a larger county complex that includes the county jail, administration building and juvenile detention facility. In 2020 the courthouse was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Polk County Courthouse located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States, was built in 1906. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration.
The Des Moines City Hall is a government building in Des Moines, Iowa, built in 1909 and 1910. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 10, 1977 as the Municipal Building, and became a contributing property in the Civic Center Historic District in 1988. The building serves as the seat for the government of the city of Des Moines. Beginning April 7, 2016, City Hall offices were temporarily relocated while the building underwent renovation. The construction was necessary to install modern heating, cooling, and sprinkler systems while preserving the historic character of the building. The project was expected to take 18–24 months. During that time, City Hall was closed to the public, and City offices moved to other nearby locations. Between February 26, 2018 and April 9, 2018, city offices moved back to City Hall.
The Dallas County Courthouse in Adel, Iowa, United States was built in 1902. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and is a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. In 2009 it was included as a contributing property in the Adel Public Square Historic District. The current structure is the fourth building to house court functions and county administration.
The Northwestern Hotel is a historic building located in the East Village of Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. In 2017 it was included as a contributing property in the East Des Moines Industrial Historic District.
The Court Avenue Bridge is a historic structure located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It became a contributing property in the Civic Center Historic District in 1988, and was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 15, 1998 as a part of the Highway Bridges of Iowa MPS.
The Civic Center Historic District is located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It flanks both the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers and their confluence. The district has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1988. It is part of The City Beautiful Movement and City Planning in Des Moines, Iowa 1892—1938 MPS.
The Jordan House is an historic building located in West Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It was built by abolitionist James C. Jordan and was a station on the Underground Railroad in Iowa. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973.
The United States Courthouse, located in Des Moines, Iowa, is the headquarters for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. It is part of the Civic Center Historic District that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
The Dickinson County Courthouse is located in Spirit Lake, Iowa, United States. Built in two phases in 2006 and 2009, it is the fourth building to house court functions and county administration.
The St. Joseph Hospital Historic District is a former Catholic hospital campus and nationally recognized historic district located in Ottumwa, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. At the time of its nomination it contained three resources, which included two contributing buildings, and one contributing structure. Previously, the hospital building was included as a contributing property in the Vogel Place Historic District.
The William A. and Etta Baum Cottage is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Built in 1891, the 1½-story structure features a gable-end facade, brick foundation, and a small front porch with a gable-end roof. It is considered a good example of the gable-on-hip subtype of the Queen Anne cottage. There were only a few that were built with 1½-stories as most were two-stories. Its significance is based on how it demonstrates that a modest-sized dwelling can embrace the picturesque design. The cottage was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. It was included as a contributing property in the Polk County Homestead and Trust Company Addition Historic District in 2016.
The Lowry W. and Hattie N. Goode First North Des Moines House, also known as the Allabach House, is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The Late Victorian-style single-family dwelling is significant for its association with Lowry W. Goode. Goode was a prominent real estate developer in the Des Moines area in the 19th century. Built c. 1884 in what was the suburb of North Des Moines, this house is one of the last resources that calls attention to his work. The Goode's themselves built and occupied several houses in North Des Moines, and they lived here for about one year after it was built. They then used it as a rental property for a while until they sold it. The two-story brick structure features a main block with a rectangular plan, intersecting gables, a single-story bay window on the west elevation, a two-story extension on the south elevation, and a rear wing. The original porch has been removed. The house was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. It was included as a contributing property in the Polk County Homestead and Trust Company Addition Historic District in 2016.
The Polk County Homestead and Trust Company Addition Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. At the time of its nomination the district consisted of 86 resources, including 48 contributing buildings, 11 contributing structures, 18 non-contributing buildings, and nine non-contributing structures. The end of the 19th-century saw the rise of the Victorian suburbs around Des Moines. This was a period of economic growth for the metropolitan area. The largest of these suburbs was North Des Moines. It was connected to Des Moines by way of three streetcar lines, whiched added to its attractiveness. Local real estate investors established the Polk County Homestead & Trust Co. to develop the northern portion of North Des Moines in partnership with the Prospect Park Improvement Company.
The old Cedar Falls Post Office is an historic building located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. Completed in 1918, this was the city's first federal government building, and Black Hawk County became the only county in the state with two post offices that reported directly to the United States Post Office Department. It was built at the time when the design of federal building's were controlled by the Department of the Treasury. This building was designed by James A. Wetmore, who was the Acting Supervising Architect of the U.S. Office of the Supervising Architect. It was built by Des Moines contractor Frederick C. Weitz. The single-story Neoclassical brick structure features a symmetrical facade, a slightly recessed central bay, a round-arched entryway flanked by round arched windows, and Bedford stone trim.