A blast from the not so distant past

[DMRyan]

I was going through some old photos tonight and thought it would be a neat idea to see reminders of what a few downtown buildings looked like before getting worked over or demolished. Hopefully, I can update this periodically when I come across something interesting among the thousands of photos I have.

Everyone else, feel free to post any photos you may have of how downtown buildings may have looked from the 1960's to relative present.

We'll start tonight with the Federal Building at 2nd and Walnut Streets prior to it's 2004-2005 renovation.


Federal Building as it looks today:


Here's the Babe's Restaurant Building and Americana Building prior to their demo in 2005-2006 to make way for the parking garage to support the Liberty Building,





Site as it looks today:

[mustang84]

I forgot how ugly that old federal building was. It's amazing what a difference a reskin can make.

[hawk61401]

And that other Federal Building that was replaced for a parking ramp. There was a time in the not too distant past when Des Moines' priorities were completely screwed up. http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?pi ... 852&ref=pf

Downtown Des Moines had sections and buildings that looked like an old European capital.

[DMRyan]

The row of buildings that used to sit on 6th Avenue just to the west of the Convention Complex. They weren't that pretty and were largely empty, but why were these torn down again? Seems like this would've beat the parking lot and ratty grass patch that's still there almost 8 years later.


The Suites of 800 Locust pre-renovation. This was once downtown's biggest eyesore and served as a pidgeon hotel instead of the upscale boutique hotel it is today.


Suites of 800 Locust current:

[hawk61401]

The row of buildings that used to sit on 6th Avenue just to the west of the Convention Complex. They weren't that pretty and were largely empty, but why were these torn down again? Seems like this would've beat the parking lot and ratty grass patch that's still there almost 8 years later.

Memories and Missed Opportunities ...

I have a thousand memories of downtown Des Moines. This is one of them. There was a kick a** gay bar on the second floor of the building at the corner of 6th Ave and Watson Powell. It was called the Broadway and rivaled anything in Chicago or New York.

If the Iowa legislators and it's leadership would have had half the vision and cajones of John Ruan, there would be a World Trade Center on this site today.

This site looks like the "old Des Moines think" ... ugly and unimaginative. A totally wasted space in the heart of downtown. Do something! Put in a sculpture, big a** planters, anything. Surprised and disappointed that our city leaders have ignored and neglected this site.

[QuadCityImages]

You guys should post "after" or current photos of these places for those of us that may not be as intimately familiar with downtown DSM.

[DMRyan]

I updated the photos above to show the modern day development where photos were available.

The Masonic Temple prior to its 2003 renovation:


Current:


Remember the AIB Building! Demolished to make way for the Central Library after a long preservation battle ending in 2003.






And the Door of Faith shelter, demo'd for the Central Library as well:


Central Library today:

[DMRyan]

Also, putting out a call to anyone that may have an old photo or postcard shot of the Ewing Apartment Building. This was a 4-5 story brick apartment at 9th and Locust Street that caught on fire and was demolished prior to making way for the ING office building. I believe this was the former home of G & L Clothing prior to their move to Ingersoll Avenue.

[vintagedmfan]

I would like to consider this a big question/note on this topic: Does anyone have any archived photos from the Polk County Assessor website? An example of an archived picture is something that I recall -- the Randolph Hotel's newest picture is from July 2007, and the archived picture is from August 1996. If anyone has archived pictures from the Assessor, posting them here would be great. Thanks!

[SFO2DSM]

My wife and I stopped by Found Things in the East village yesterday. What a great (and big) antique shop! We saw an album full of Central Iowa post cards with pictures of all kinds of Des Moines landmarks. The post cards were $1-$2 each, but I am sure you could work out a deal if you wanted to buy them all or significant number of them. Maybe a few of us should pool some money, buy them, scan them, and put them online? They are definitely a treasure. Even if you don't want to buy them, make sure to stop by the store and page through the album.

[Ingersoll1978]

My wife and I stopped by Found Things in the East village yesterday. What a great (and big) antique shop! We saw an album full of Central Iowa post cards with pictures of all kinds of Des Moines landmarks. The post cards were $1-$2 each, but I am sure you could work out a deal if you wanted to buy them all or significant number of them. Maybe a few of us should pool some money, buy them, scan them, and put them online? They are definitely a treasure. Even if you don't want to buy them, make sure to stop by the store and page through the album.

I was just looking at that album the other day! Marsha has a great antique shop. I just couldn't believe how large it was, considering the basement is full too.

[Cmuse]

Also, putting out a call to anyone that may have an old photo or postcard shot of the Ewing Apartment Building. This was a 4-5 story brick apartment at 9th and Locust Street that caught on fire and was demolished prior to making way for the ING office building. I believe this was the former home of G & L Clothing prior to their move to Ingersoll Avenue.

I am wondering if some part of the Ewing Apartments may be visible on the left side of this 1958 photograph. As I recall, it was a low two- or three-story brick building with storefronts and a Chinese/Korean restaurant on the first floor facing Locust. Or perhaps this photo would've needed to have been taken one block farther west on Locust for the Ewing to be visible.

http://mlballpark.com/photos/des-moines-1958-01.jpg

A few other notes...

"A kicka** gay bar at 6th and Watson Powell," Hawk? Are you sure? I recall a place on the second-floor of the old Cownie Fur Bldg ca. 1983, but I'd hardly call it "kicka**." There were, of course, the other gay bars near the corner of 4th and Court at that time.

Those demolition photos of the old AIB Building leave me with mixed feelings, DMRyan. Have you seen the Lost Des Moines Facebook page? Among the photos and images included there are the plans for incorporating the AIB Building into a mixed-use complex with the new library. Even Chipperfield had wanted to save the AIB Building, which was a very good (and very early) example of Art Deco. And it was also a rather proto-New Urbanist design in its own right. The more I look at images of the new library, the less thrilled I am with it. It's not really a very "downtown" design, even if it is world-class "star-chitecture." More like something you'd see in the suburban Southwest or California (I'm thinking Frank Lloyd Wright's Marin County government offices complex as a comparison).

[dogbo]

Those demolition photos of the old AIB Building leave me with mixed feelings, DMRyan. Have you seen the Lost Des Moines Facebook page? Among the photos and images included there are the plans for incorporating the AIB Building into a mixed-use complex with the new library. Even Chipperfield had wanted to save the AIB Building, which was a very good (and very early) example of Art Deco. And it was also a rather proto-New Urbanist design in its own right. The more I look at images of the new library, the less thrilled I am with it. It's not really a very "downtown" design, even if it is world-class "star-chitecture." More like something you'd see in the suburban Southwest or California (I'm thinking Frank Lloyd Wright's Marin County government offices complex as a comparison).

My feelings aren't "mixed". We should have found a way to save the AIB building.

[DMRyan]

I think that must be it. I remember it being at least 4 stories and having a pretty good presence as one of the last things left on the block. Growing up, I could of passed by this building 1,000 times and it just blended in. Sadly, the only real memory I have of the building was watching it being torn down after it caught on fire.

[hawk61401]

My feelings aren't "mixed". We should have found a way to save the AIB building.

Des Moines has always had a problem with mixing and adapting the old with the new. Such as, let's make a western gateway for downtown, but let's raze everything by doing it. A rare exception being of course The Temple for the Performing Arts.

We get a woody by the somewhat minor events of the past few months. A politician is temporarily leasing space on the groundfloor of the Chamberlain Building. A Smokey D's opens at the Nationwide building. I find that about as exciting as driving to West Des Moines for a typical suburban flair.

The AIB Building could have brought an urban vibe that cities like Minneapolis and Chicago do with their older gems. Mix it up - fix it up, with lofts, galleries, studios, restaurants. Yes, I know the economy is to be blamed too. But if the AIB was standing today, attracting people to the Western Gateway, maybe Jack Hatch would have more to celebrate besides a politician temporarily leasing space on the ground floor of his Chamberlain Building.

[SFO2DSM]

A little off topic, but from from what I understand, the Chamberlain building is now 100% leased.

Des Moines has always had a problem with mixing and adapting the old with the new. Such as, let's make a western gateway for downtown, but let's raze everything by doing it. A rare exception being of course The Temple for the Performing Arts.

We get a woody by the somewhat minor events of the past few months. A politician is temporarily leasing space on the groundfloor of the Chamberlain Building. A Smokey D's opens at the Nationwide building. I find that about as exciting as driving to West Des Moines for a typical suburban flair.

The AIB Building could have brought an urban vibe that cities like Minneapolis and Chicago do with their older gems. Mix it up - fix it up, with lofts, galleries, studios, restaurants. Yes, I know the economy is to be blamed too. But if the AIB was standing today, attracting people to the Western Gateway, maybe Jack Hatch would have more to celebrate besides a politician temporarily leasing space on the ground floor of his Chamberlain Building.

[Young DSM Social Club]

I was away at school at the time, so what exactly happened with the AIB building? It seems ridiculous on so many levels that it was, well, leveled. I could see if it had been in the middle of the new park, but it was not. It seemed like a perfect compliment to the Masonic Temple. Very confused why anybody would have felt there was a need to knock it down ....

[hawk61401]

I was away at school at the time, so what exactly happened with the AIB building? It seems ridiculous on so many levels that it was, well, leveled. I could see if it had been in the middle of the new park, but it was not. It seemed like a perfect compliment to the Masonic Temple. Very confused why anybody would have felt there was a need to knock it down ....

a quote from this thread: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3983&p=71728&hilit=aib+aib#p71728

I can tell you that in the beginning, at least, Allied was not supportive of keeping the Temple or the AIB building. I attended several city council meetings in 2001 when preservationists tried to rally support to keep both of them. The city had put itself in a bad position because in a lengthy contract that had been signed with Allied, there was a paragraph that essentially gave Allied the power to decide the fate of the Temple (and possibly AIB???). One of the council members (I believe it was Flagg or Vlassis) stated that he was sorry that provision was in there and admitted that he didn't read the whole document before it was finalized, or else he wouldn't have supported it.

Had it not been for all the bad publicity in the DM Register, Harry Bookey's plan for renovation and $$$, and a little bit of luck, the temple would not be there today.

There were a couple of other victims in this, too. 3E was located nearby, and ended up relocating a fair number of jobs to the old Sutherland's site in Windsor Heights. And although it was vacant at the time, I seem to remember an incredible building on 11th Street that was razed. I don't know who owned it or what it was over the years, but it looked like it, too, could have been a great historic building for downtown.

Now, the flip side of this is that the Allied campus did do a lot of good, obviously, for the area. It kept a LOT of jobs downtown, and did help jump-start further development, especially between 10th and central campus. There were also a lot of vacant lots that weren't serving any purpose other than giving the loop scoopers a place to hang out. So I don't want to give the impression that I have a grudge against them or am calling for a boycott. I just thought they mishandled the whole situation at the time.

[DMRyan]

Spaghetti Works Building pre-renovation


Post renovation:


Nacho Mamma's Building:


Post Renovation-Court Center:


Whiteline Transfer Warehouse:


Whiteline Lofts:

[hawk61401]

Whiteline is the most radical renovation of any building I have seen anywhere. I like Joe Feldman's work on his 550 sq. ft. Studio/Loft. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago ... oft-020889

One of the comments:

For a loft in Iowa, this loft looks pretty NY Chic (read: small yet, clean & stylish). Would, however, like to see more art on the walls

What's a loft in Iowa suppose to look like?

And another great job by Brett. This loft too looks pretty Des Moines Chic. Ain't that a Kick in the Head? ...



And there's more ...

Ryan, I can't wait and hope in the not too distant future that the Sawyer and Watrous Building (commonly known as the Crane Building) will be on here too. http://books.google.com/books?id=hrMRAA ... ts&f=false

[JMsioux]

Any loft in Iowa should just resemble a farmhouse. It just needs to be placed in the typical loft setting like an old warehouse, etc. Running water is optional, of course.

[Cmuse]

Getting back to the Whiteline...

The Whiteline Lofts is a remarkable transformation. And I'm writing this, even though I don't much care for the building. When I was in DSM in '07, the Whiteline and the Science Center seemed to anchor (or more like stake out) what had been urban brownfields south of Court Ave. and Cherry St. a few blocks west of the DSM River.

Really, JM Sioux, you can go to any number of parts of the country and get a rural vibe, if somewhat less prosperous than IA's. To mention two large coastal states, parts of upstate New York resemble a very downtrodden (if still somewhat more populated and rather worn) version of Wisconsin. And then there's California's Central Valley and Imperial Valley: like The Grapes of Wrath meets a documentary about illegal immigration and Latino farmworker exploitation. And now up to 35% unemployment in some localities... A "loft" designed according to those Central Valley ag-worker camp specifications (and those camps are still in existence, particularly around Fresno) would mean a two- to four-room uninsulated shack or tented structure, and the bathroom might just be communal, the kitchen improvised.

Not to be quite so hard on California: parts of SE Iowa had similar kinds of Third World accommodations -- decades ago -- for migrant agricultural workers who came north from Texas and Mexico to pick produce from the truck farms (melons, tomatoes, squash, etc.) along the Mississippi between Fort Madison and Muscatine.

[Mastermind]

Getting back to the Whiteline...

The Whiteline Lofts is a remarkable transformation. And I'm writing this, even though I don't much care for the building. When I was in DSM in '07, the Whiteline and the Science Center seemed to anchor (or more like stake out) what had been urban brownfields south of Court Ave. and Cherry St. a few blocks west of the DSM River.

Really, JM Sioux, you can go to any number of parts of the country and get a rural vibe, if somewhat less prosperous than IA's. To mention two large coastal states, parts of upstate New York resemble a very downtrodden (if still somewhat more populated and rather worn) version of Wisconsin. And then there's California's Central Valley and Imperial Valley: like The Grapes of Wrath meets a documentary about illegal immigration and Latino farmworker exploitation. And now up to 35% unemployment in some localities... A "loft" designed according to those Central Valley ag-worker camp specifications (and those camps are still in existence, particularly around Fresno) would mean a two- to four-room uninsulated shack or tented structure, and the bathroom might just be communal, the kitchen improvised.

Not to be quite so hard on California: parts of SE Iowa had similar kinds of Third World accommodations -- decades ago -- for migrant agricultural workers who came north from Texas and Mexico to pick produce from the truck farms (melons, tomatoes, squash, etc.) along the Mississippi between Fort Madison and Muscatine.

These camps exist all over the country. Hopefully Atalissa was a wake-up call.

[DMRyan]

The Davidson Building and what I believe to be the Securities Building at 8th and Walnut, now home to Wells Fargo Financial's building completed in 2007.


Today




Does anyone have/can find a photo of the Moderne era Iowa Power Company HQ at 10th and Walnut, also demo'd for this project?

[southdm]

I received this book (Des Moines, Iowa [Postcard History Series] by Craig S. McCue, Ron Playle) as a gift. This book contains pages of post cards of Des Moines over the last 100 years or so. It is extremely interesting to see all the great buildings that were around town. The book is has several sections including military (Camp Dodge & Fort Des Moines), education (high schools & colleges around town). I think my book was bought at Walgreens but it can be found online.

[hawk61401]

Does anyone have/can find a photo of the Moderne era Iowa Power Company HQ at 10th and Walnut, also demo'd for this project?

Here ya go .... http://www.facebook.com/?sk=2361831622# ... 1432207983

This was when Walnut Street was the place to Christmas shop.

[Cmuse]

A wonderful photo of the Iowa Power & Light Bldg., but in some ways very revealing. Your Facebook dating of 1958 is definitely on target, based on the cars, but the holiday display (with the trees positioned on the overhang between the first and second floor, and the reindeer skipping down the side) was installed every season well into the '70s.

What strikes me is how desolate it looks, even compared to some of the "before" downtown pics from the 1980s and 1990s. It was dusk when the photo was taken and the stores that were still open at that hour were all one or more blocks east. Or maybe the photo was taken in the early-morning hours (no shoppers wandering about at that time). In any case, I recall how the boarded windows of the back side of the Younker's Store for Homes made it look like an abandoned building from the west or southwest (of course, at the time it was anything but that). Before about 1985, Iowa Power and Light, the former Look magazine complex (shuttered in the early '70s), and the Fort Des Moines Hotel were at the western edge of a "dead" zone that stretched west from the downtown core into the easternmost reaches of the Ingersoll corridor and lower Sherman Hill. Bill Bryson touches on this a little in Thunderbolt Kid. East Village was a total wreck then, of course.

The Pappajohn sculpture park, as much flak as it gets from some quarters, is a definite improvement. If only the AIB building hadn't been sacrificed...

FYI: the location appears to be 9th and Walnut, rather than 10th and Walnut (the main Younkers store is one block east) and the store for homes (the back side is at the upper left) was on 8th.

[hawk61401]

What strikes me is how desolate it looks, even compared to some of the "before" downtown pics from the 1980s and 1990s.

Excellent points, Cmuse. Probably at the time (circa 1960) the area around 9th and Walnut was considered a hot commodity. I know, judging from the photo you're probably thinking, "huh"? The Iowa Power and Light Building, built in 1954, was one of the newest buildings downtown. Across the street was the parking ramp that was razed for the Davis Brown Tower. That parking ramp was completed in 1957 and was considered unique and cutting-edge for it's day.

If this photo was taken in 1958, Merle Hay Mall wouldn't open for another year. A spadeful of dirt had not been turned for the MacVicar freeway. The freeway's first section wouldn't open until 3 years later in 1961. Certainly, downtown had a lot of retail and movie houses when this photo was taken.

I use to think that Merle Hay Mall and the freeway contributed greatly to downtown's demise in the 60's and early 70's. But before the malls and the freeway, downtown Des Moines was already looking like a dump and old.

[DMRyan]

Thanks for finding the photo Hawk. The building looks uglier than I remember it, but it was one of the few of it's style built downtown, which to me qualifies it as having some architectural merit. I like the shot of the Register & Tribune Building in the background without the nasty International style cladding on it. I'm very hopeful that the exterior of this building can be appropriately restored again someday.

[hawk61401]

Thanks for finding the photo Hawk. The building looks uglier than I remember it, but it was one of the few of it's style built downtown, which to me qualifies it as having some architectural merit. I like the shot of the Register & Tribune Building in the background without the nasty International style cladding on it. I'm very hopeful that the exterior of this building can be appropriately restored again someday.

You're welcome, Ryan. Here's another from Lost Des Moines on Facebook. There is no politically correct or diplomatic way to say it. In 1999, much of downtown Des Moines was a dump. If someone wasn't living in Des Moines at the time, they have no idea how far our city has come.

1999 view looking east of the present day Pappajohn Sculpture Park: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1 ... 1432207983