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 »
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 »
2015 Preservation at its Best, Public Structure: Ambrose Hall Ambrose Hall was originally built in 1885-1887 as the principal building of St. Ambrose Seminary. As St. Ambrose grew, the seminary added multiple additions between 1893 and 1912. The original building—as well as its many additions— where designed in the “Second Empire” Style. Part of the… Read more »
2015 Preservation at its Best, Commercial Large: Union Block Building Built in 1861, the Union Block is a landmark structure on the Square in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Union Block is a three story, 15,000 sf, building built in the Italianate architectural style with handsome arched windows, large brackets and front facing gable roof. Its character… Read more »
2015 Preservation at its Best, Commercial Small: Bowery Street Grocery Store 518 Bowery Street is a tiny building: Measuring 18’ wide by 40’ deep it is the archetypical example of a small storefront built in 19th century Iowa. Simple in construction, small in scale, utilitarian in function, the building is a surviving example of a… Read more »
2015 Preservation at its Best, Adaptive Use: Clarinda Carnegie Art Museum Clarinda’s 1909 Carnegie Library was one of about (2500) libraries in the country funded by the Carnegie Foundation’s library program. The library—like so many in small Iowa towns—is locally significant for its educational, social and cultural contributions to the community. The classical revival style… Read more »
