Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in Iowa, United States. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857. It is located on, and named after, the Des Moines River, which likely was adapted from the early French name, Rivière des Moines, meaning "River of the Monks". The city's population was 214,133 as of the 2020 census. The six-county metropolitan area is ranked 83rd in terms of population in the United States with 699,292 residents according to the 2019 estimate by the United States Census Bureau, and is the largest metropolitan area fully located within the state.
Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, education, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States.
The Randolph Hotel or Hotel Randolph is a nine-story hotel located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. This hotel was designed and built by the H.L. Stevens & Company in 1911. It rents rooms for a weekly rate. Most guests are considered long term, meaning they stay for more than thirty consecutive days. The Randolph Hotel is located on the corner of Fourth Street and Court Avenue downtown, along the historic Court Avenue strip.
The James B. Weaver House is a historic house at 102 Weaver Road in Bloomfield, Iowa. Built in 1865, it was the home of James Weaver (1833-1912) until 1890. Weaver, a populist and anti-monopolist, was the Greenback candidate for president in 1880 and the Populist candidate in 1892. The house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1975.
The Liberty Building is a historic building located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It has been a downtown landmark since 1923. The Liberty Building is located at the SW corner of 6th Avenue and Grand Avenue in the heart of downtown Des Moines. The building was originally home to Bankers Life Insurance & WHO (AM) Radio. Designed by the prominent Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson, the 12-story building rises to a height of 174 feet (53 m).
Chamberlin House may refer to:
Trinity United Methodist Church is located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998 as Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, which was its previous name.
Bentonsport, a village on the Des Moines River near Keosauqua, in Van Buren County, Iowa, was recognized in 1972 for being very little changed since its historic heyday as a thriving steamboat port in the mid-1800s. A 35-acre (14 ha) historic district covering 16 original blocks in the historic center of the village was then approved for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The district also included waterfront property and the village's historic wagon bridge across the river to the village of Vernon.
Proudfoot & Bird was an American architectural firm that designed many buildings throughout the Midwest region of the United States. Originally established in 1882, it remains active through its several successors, and since 2017 has been known as BBS Architects | Engineers.
Liebbe, Nourse & Rasmussen was an architectural firm in the U.S. state of Iowa. They designed Kromer Flats built in 1905. It designed courthouses, commercial buildings, and residences. Several are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The D.S. Chamberlain Building, also known as the L. W. Taylor Motor Company and Payne Motor Company Building, is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The two-story brick structure was designed by the prominent Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson. Completed in 1917, it features elongated Chicago-style windows on the upper floors and simple geometric details on the cornice level that reflect the Collegiate Gothic style. The building was built as a speculative venture by Davis S. Chamberlain, who was one of the founders of his family's drug manufacturing company. It is located in the city's "Motor Row" or "Auto Row" on the west side of downtown. In 1916 there were 111 motor related firms in Des Moines that was valued at $12 million in annual trade. Both the Taylor Motor Company and the Payne Motor Company were housed in the double storefront building for many years. Other car dealerships followed. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
Frank E. Wetherell was an American architect in the U.S. state of Iowa who was active from 1892 to 1931. He founded the second oldest architectural firm in the state in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1905. He worked with Roland Harrison in partnership Wetherell & Harrison. The firm designed numerous Masonic buildings.
Hotel Manning is a historic hotel located in Keosauqua, Van Buren County, Iowa, United States, on the banks of the Des Moines River. The hotel's Steamboat Gothic architecture mimics riverboats of the mid-1800s. Hotel Manning was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in April, 1973. It currently operates as a bed & breakfast.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Des Moines, Iowa, USA.
H.L. Stevens & Company was a Chicago-, New York-, and San Francisco-based architectural firm that designed hotels around the United States. At least 15 of its works are listed on the National Register of Historic Places for their architecture.
The Vander Wilt Farmstead Historic District, also known as the Heritage House Bed and Breakfast, is an agricultural historic district located north of Leighton, Iowa, United States. At the time of its nomination it included three contributing buildings, three contributing structures, one non-contributing building, and two non-contributing structures. The significance of the district is attributed to its association with progressive farming and the Country Life Movement, which sought to improve the living conditions of rural residents. The contributing buildings include the 1904 barn, the house (1920), the corn crib (1953), dairy barn (1955) and the feed lots. The two-story house was built by Douwe Sjaardema, a contractor from Pella, Iowa. The corn crib was built by the Iowa Concrete Crib & Silo Co. of Des Moines. The farm also includes a former landing strip for airplanes. It featured a 1,500-foot (460 m) grass runway where cows grazed on certain days. At one time it had a windsock and homemade landing lights. A hangar, no longer in existence, had been built in 1955. An automobile garage and two silos are the non-contributing resources. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. The 1904 barn has subsequently been torn down.
The Homestead Building, also known as the Martin Hotel, is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Designed by the Des Moines architectural firm of Smith & Gage, it was built in two stages. The eastern one-third was completed in 1893 and the western two-thirds was completed in 1905. It is one of a few late nineteenth-century commercial/industrial buildings that remain in the downtown area. The building was built for James M. Pierce for his publishing operation, which included the Iowa Homestead, a pioneer publication of modern agricultural journalism. Prior to Pierce, the Iowa Homestead publisher was Henry Wallace, the father of Agriculture Secretary Henry C. Wallace, and grandfather of U.S. Vice President Henry A. Wallace. "Through the efforts of Pierce and Wallace the Iowa Homestead became known for its promotion of the rotation of crops, the use of better seed, the value of more and better livestock, the importance of an attractive home and a good home life, the value of farmers banding together to protect common interests, and the care of the soil and conservation of its resources."
The Iowa City Downtown Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021. At the time of its nomination it consisted of 102 resources, which included 73 contributing buildings, one contributing site, one contributing object, 21 non-contributing buildings, and seven non-contributing objects. Eight buildings that were previously listed on the National Register are also included in the district. Iowa City's central business district developed adjacent to the Iowa Old Capitol Building and the main campus of the University of Iowa. This juxtaposition gives the area its energy with the overlap of university staff and students and the local community. The district was significantly altered in the 1970s by the city's urban renewal effort that brought about the Ped Mall, which transformed two blocks of College Street from Clinton Street to Linn Street and Dubuque Street from Burlington Street to Washington Street. It is the contributing site and the large planters/retaining walls that are original to the project are counted together as the contributing object. There are also several freestanding, limestone planters, five contemporary sculptures, and a playground area are the non-contributing objects.
Plymouth Church is an historic congregation located in Des Moines, Iowa and is a member of the United Church of Christ. Plymouth is known for its long history of social justice work including anti-racism and suffrage advocacy, ClimateCare, and aid to unhoused and refugee populations. Plymouth Church is an Open and Affirming church, a Stephen Ministries church, and a Just Peace Church. The church building, located at 42nd and Ingersoll Avenue, is included as a contributing property in the Greenwood Park Plats Historic District and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. The official name of the church is Plymouth Congregational Church of the United Church of Christ.
The East Des Moines Industrial Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in the East Village of Des Moines, Iowa, United States, directly east of the Downtown Des Moines area. At the time of its nomination it consisted of 45 resources, which included 31 contributing buildings, four contributing sites, three contributing structures, six non-contributing buildings and two non-contributing structures. It also includes the Northwestern Hotel, which was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The historic district was listed on the NRHP in 2017. The district's boundaries were increased in 2023 to include another building.
