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…
View looking north up 5th avenue from the Polk County Courthouse grounds. The courthouse is on the left. The trolley is turning east onto Court Avenue. visible on 5th is the Federal Building, Hoods Hotel and Gabrio W F Co. The building in the center…
Originally planned at four stories, the Chamberlain Hotel grew to six stories before its completion in 1903. D.S. Chamberlain hired W.L. Brown, former manager of the Savery hotel, to oversee construction of the building. Current site of the Ruan Two…
View looks west across the Des Moines River, just south of the Locust Street Bridge. On the left is the Public Library and on the right is the Des Moines Coliseum. In the distance is the Observatory Building and The Savery Hotel. The Coliseum was…
This view of Locust Street was taken from just beyond the 5th Avenue intersection. On the right is the Marquardt Block, home of the Commercial Savings Bank and Franklin Hotel. Across the street is the Crocker Building, home to a variety of offices…
This view of Locust Street was taken from just beyond the 5th Avenue intersection. On the right is the Marquardt Block, home of the Commercial Savings Bank and Franklin Hotel. Across the street is the Crocker Building, home to a variety of offices…
Looking east down Locust street we see the Clapp Block (with the Iowa Mutual Tornado sign) and the Observatory Building both on the right side of the street. Capital Center is what currently occupies that side of the street. The left side of street,…
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…
