The 1909 Wilkins Department Store building was the first reinforced concrete building in Des Moines. In 1924 it was annexed to the newly constructed Younkers Building. Following Younkers' closure in the early 2000s, the building sat vacant for 10 years before a developer began rehabilitation. In 2014, a fire ravaged the Younkers building while the [...]
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The Daniels Brothers Super Service Station opened in 1929 as the third outlet for the Des Moines-based auto supply and service chain founded in 1919. This brick-and-stone-accented service station with Tudor Revival touches is an auto-row property described as "a department store for vehicles." Owner/developer RE3, architect Goche Inclusions and architectural historian Jennifer James worked [...]
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The L. Harbach and Sons factory complex, consisting of two functionally related 5-story brick buildings separated by a paved courtyard, is a rare surviving warehouse-factory complex from early 20th century Des Moines. Kent Mauck Encore Properties, the current owner of the 1906 complex, rehabilitated the two buildings as competitive-rate housing with a hip, uptown feel [...]
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Four Oaks and ASK Studio/AKAY Consulting transformed vacated Monroe Elementary School in Cedar Rapids into 19 multi-family apartments called Monroe Place. With its original footprint and many of architectural features still in place, the 1961 building's historic use is immediately apparent even now that it serves as modern affordable housing. This one-story, 24,000-square-foot building is [...]
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The Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District in Sioux City is a 30-acre site that contains surviving structures, foundations, buildings, and a rail yard from the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad shops. The district is home to one of seven surviving roundhouse terminal landscapes in the nation. After being abandoned by the railroad in [...]
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The Woodbury Courthouse in Sioux City is one of the finest examples of Prairie Architecture in the United States. It is a National Landmark and listed on the National Register. To commemorate the building’s 100th anniversary, the Woodbury County Supervisors appointed a committee to plan a week-long celebration in order to encourage locals and out-of-towners [...]
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Fort Des Moines is a symbol of Iowa’s civil right leadership. As the home of the first African American officer training program, in 1917, and the nation’s first Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, during World War II, the fort's buildings are visible reminders of Iowa’s progressive past. Blackbird Investments and James Spiller acquired four army barracks [...]
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The iconic gold dome of the Iowa State Capitol has been one of the state’s most recognizable landmarks for more than 130 years. Over the course of its history, significant deterioration threatened the dome’s integrity. With funding from the Iowa Legislature, OPN Architects guided a project that involved replacing more than 12,000 interior bricks, building [...]
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The Historic Garst Farm House, owned by Whiterock Conservancy, is a visible reminder of the agricultural innovations Roswell Garst introduced, which changed the course of farming in Iowa and the world. In 1959, during the height of the Cold War, Garst hosted Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev at the Garst family farm. The visit not only [...]
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John Snapp, secretary of the Cherokee Historic Preservation Commission, is actively involved in all aspects of his community's history. As a photographer, he has created museum-quality displays to raise awareness of and appreciation for historic properties. As a writer, he has helped Cherokee obtain grants for preservation. As a volunteer, his countless hours of work [...]
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