Central Church of Christ was founded in 1860 by a group of Des Moines pioneers. Peter T. Russell was the first reverend. The first meetings of the church were held in schools and public halls. Current site of the Principal Financial Campus.
The First Methodist Episcopal Church was originally located on Fifth Street. The building was erected in 1856 but later torn down. A second church was built and the two later combined and moved to the present location in 1908. The architectural style…
Founded in 1865 in an abandoned Lutheran College building, Des Moines College opened as a Baptist institution. After some financial troubles, the school grew, and moved to this new campus in 1884. In 1920, it merged with Central College and Highland…
In 1859 the Des Moines school district, previously one entity, fractioned off into wards. West High School was in the Fourth Ward. On July 1, 1864 the board voted to open the high school. West was the largest high school in Iowa. It moved to the…
This view looks north up 4th street, from just above Court Avenue. The Kirkwood Hotel is on the left. It was replaced with the current building in 1930, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Observatory Building was built…
This view looking east was taken from the top the Polk County Courthouse. On the right is the Des Moines Register building. To the left is the Des Moines Saddlery Company Building. The Capitol is in the distance. The Court Avenue Bridge is in the…
This was the second out of three buildings that have been called The Savery. The first structure closed in 1878. This second building opened at a new location in 1888 to much fanfare. The entire building was lit by electric light, quite a novelty in…
The Young Men's Christian Association opened in Des Moines in 1868. This building was finished in 1889 and demolished 1924. The YMCA expanded into a newer building a block north in 1912.
