Built in 1900, this house on 22nd Street was home to the family of Reverend George Breckenridge Peak. In 1896 Rev. Peak founded the Central Life Assurance Society. The company is now known as AmerUs Group. The house is still standing and is listed on…
The Municipal Building serves as Des Moines' City Hall. This was Des Moines' second City Hall, the original having stood at 2nd and Locust Streets. The new City Hall was built in 1910. The city council was adamant that this new edifice to local…
The Des Moines Public Library was founded in 1866 and held a collection of 2,300 books when it opened its doors to the public. The library had many different homes until this building was constructed in 1903. Built on the location of the early home…
This house on Kinsey Avenue was built in 1890 and is still standing. It was the home of J. S. Carpenter. Mr. Carpenter was the proprietor of Iowa Bridge Co. Carpenter nicknamed his home Oakwood. The house is listed on National Register of Historic…
The cornerstone of the Capitol Building was laid on November 23, 1871 and construction was completed in 1886. Unfortunately, there was no money left in the budget to finish the decorative painting of the interior of the building. In 1904 a fire broke…
This is a view from the Fleming Building facing southeast. The intersection pictured is 5th and Court. To the right is the Polk County Courthouse. The building with the Standard Life Insurance Co. sign is the Youhe building. Visible buildings listed…
The cornerstone of the Capitol Building was laid on November 23, 1871. The building was completed in 1886. Unfortunately, there was no money left in the budget to finish the decorative painting of the interior of the building. In 1904 a fire broke…
This view from the Fleming Building faces northeast toward Locust Street. The Fleming Building was built in 1909 and still stands on 6th Avenue. The building with the tower is the Observatory Building, which was one of the tallest buildings in the…
The Polk County Courthouse was erected in 1900 and dedicated on Oct. 31, 1906. The architectural design is Modified Renaissance style. The cost of construction was $750,000. The Polk County Courthouse is listed on National Register of Historic…
This house on Forest Drive was built in 1884 and is still standing. It was home to Mr. Cummins and his wife Ida. A. B. Cummins was one of the original faculty of the Drake University College of Law. He was governor of Iowa from 1902 - 1908. He went…
