2016 Preservation at its Best, Public Building: Polk County Courthouse Designed by the Des Moines-based architectural firm of Proudfoot & Bird, the current Polk County courthouse was built in 1906. Constructed for $750,000 on the site of its 1858 predecessor, the Beaux-Arts style courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979…. Read more »
2016 Preservation at its Best, Residential: The Randolph The Randolph—previously the Hotel Randolph—combines three historic buildings into one complex. The three buildings—dating back to 1876, 1896 and 1912—had been combined into one hotel with 101 tiny units. Though it was one hotel, the three buildings were different both in their style and in their construction…. Read more »
2016 Preservation at its Best, Community Effort: Grand Mound Fire Station In 2008, the Clinton County Historic Preservation Commission and the Grand Mound town council started working together to save the only wood frame fire stations in the state. The 1892 building was used as a fire station for decades until the town constructed a… Read more »
2016 Preservation at its Best, Large Commercial: American Enterprise Group The American Republic Insurance Company building is an 8-story building located on the northeast corner of Sixth Avenue and Watson Powell Jr. Way in Des Moines. Designed in 1965 by one of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP’s legendary principal architects, Gordon Bunshaft. The American Republic… Read more »
2016 Preservation at its Best, Small Commercial: State Theatre The State Theatre—originally called the New Graham—opened in 1893. The theatre holds the Guinness World Record as the oldest continuously operating cinema theatre, having been in operation since May 14, 1897. The rehabilitation included removal of the blonde street level brick and exposing the original arcade… Read more »
2016 Preservation at its Best, Small Commercial: Walden Block This project involved four discreet historic buildings in downtown Waterloo. The buildings, built between 1880’s and 1950s, displayed the transitions of Waterloo from the 1880’s through the art deco period of the 1930’s and into the growth of the 1950’s. It is a visual architectural history… Read more »
2016 Preservation at its Best, Adaptive Reuse: Cedar Falls Old Post Office The former Cedar Falls Post Office was built in 1918 as the first federal building in the city. This NeoClassical building was part of a nation-wide movement to standardize the size and design of federal buildings. The 4200 sf building served as the… Read more »
2015 Preservation at its Best, Sustainability in Preservation: Samuel Green Rowhouse–Norden Hall The Samuel Green Rowhouse–Norden Hall was located at 709 E. Locust Street, Des Moines, and occupied what was once a mid-block lot on the edge of the State of Iowa Capitol Grounds. This area was historically known as East Fort Des Moines. The… Read more »
2015 Preservation at its Best, Rural Preservation: Priester Building and Opera House Bloomfield has about 2600 residents and is the county seat of Davis County. A key defining characteristic of many rural communities is the courthouse square surrounded on all sides by small storefronts. Unfortunately, many communities have several missing buildings—even entire missing blocks–surrounding their… Read more »
2015 Preservation at its Best, Residential: Plymouth Place When it was built, the 1968 building design was unlike anything Des Moines had ever seen. The tall, concrete cylinder was inspired by the progressive philosophy of Le Corbusier and by the forms of Bertrand Goldberg’s Marina City. The Des Moines housing tower was also a function… Read more »
