Grant School: 1031 23rd Street
Grant School, built in 1885, is located just east of Drake Park. It was recently designated as a local landmark by the city of Des Moines. Grant School, named after Ulysses S. Grant, was built for the Des Moines Westside School District. It originally had six classrooms, but four more were added in 1895 and six more were added in 1910. The building has been owned by the New Life Center since 1978. Used as a religious center, a sanctuary was added in 1981 and is still in use. The original building is no longer being used and is not heated. Inspections have shown the building is still stable, and although it has landmark status, it is not protected from neglect or vandalism.
1370 23rd Street and 2312 Forest Avenue
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1370 23rd St. and 2312 Forest Ave. are connected by more than just common utilities. The house located at 1370 23rd St. has roots in the Victorian period with covered porches, stained glass and tower rooms, but does not appear in city records at that location until 1934. It was apparently moved to the location in 1933 by Richard D. Edward, a real estate agent who also built the commercial building on the west part of the lot that faced Forest. At that time, Forest Avenue was designated as U.S. Highway 6 in Des Moines which connected with Hickman Road via Beaver Avenue. A large commercial district developed from 19th to 34th streets included restaurants, professional offices, drug stores and grocery stores. The house was divided into several apartments and the commercial building to the west. It contained a second-story apartment where Edward lived until his death in 1959. The commercial property was occupied by many businesses over the years including, the Blue Willow restaurant, Cardinal Cleaners, Le Creperie, the Soup Kitchen, Whole Planet Café and most recently LaRosa Mexican restaurant.
2022, 2024, 2026 Southeast Sixth Street (Sevastopol)
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The buildings are adjacent on Southeast Sixth Street and were part of the original Main Street of the town of Sevastopol, which was incorporated in 1877 but its roots go back to 1855 as a settlement laid out by James Sherman just south of the Des Moines River. The building at 2026 was built in 1872 prior to the incorporation of Sevastopol. It is likely one of the oldest commercial buildings still standing in Des Moines. All three storefronts have second stories that have been used for apartments, fraternal organizations and community halls. The storefronts contained businesses such as Ray Brothers, Pidgeon’s Grocery, Hartford Variety Store and Capitol Coal Company. Sevastopol’s growth was spurred by two of the largest coal mines in Polk County including the Pioneer Mine owned by Wesley Redhead. Sevastopol was annexed by Des Moines in 1890, with its Main Street being changed to Southeast Sixth Street. The three storefronts were purchased by Invest DSM in 2024.
Chesterfield (Scott) School: 2501 Maury Street
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The town of Chesterfield began as a Des Moines suburb in 1882 after being a part of the William Lamb farm. Lamb came to the area in 1843 and grew many of the food crops for the soldiers located at Fort Des Moines 2 after contracting with Capt. James Allen. Chesterfield School was built around 1890, about the time Chesterfield was annexed by the city of Des Moines. Talks began around 1913 to add seventh and eighth grades to the school, and its name was changed to Scott in honor of W.A. Scott, who donated the land where the state Capitol is located. He is the only person buried on the Capitol grounds. The Maury Street location has been used for many purposes, including a streetcar turnaround. In 1951, 46 single-story concrete block houses were built to replace shacks that were located by the old city dump. The school has been used for food stamp distribution services and other community activities. The city bought the building in 1975 for $1 and built greenhouses in 2005 for the city horticultural department. Those are now closed and the building is no longer being used.
Butler Apartments (Gaslamp): 1501 Grand Av./510 Fifteenth St. (1906)
Over 115 years old, the four-story Butler Apartment/Gaslamp Building was
constructed in 1906 with 16 apartments and two retail spaces. Of the Renaissance/Georgian style; it is a good example of the early 20th century designed buildings which combined commercial and residential design. The HS Chase Grocery Store and Meat Market was the original tenant of both of the retail sections facing Grand and the 16 apartments used the 15th Street address and entrance. At this time there are 23 apartments. For at least fifty years the commercial bays have been home to music venues such as Blues on Grand and Vicky’s Pour House. Gaslamp, the most recent occupant has announced it will close July 9, 2023. The closing noticed stated the building will be included in further redevelopment in the Gateway District, but Gaslamp was not in that plan. Having passed through several owners in the last few years, a subsidiary of the Kum & Go Corp. bought this building and the Jefferson Apartments in 2015 as plans were being made for their new headquarters just across the street to the east. The Krause Group, now known as Krause+, has already successfully applied for $23M in state tax incentives to redevelop the area in 2025.
The Jefferson Apartments: 1519 Grand Ave. (1915)
Constructed in 1915, the Jefferson Apartment Building was purchased in 2015 by the Krause Group at the same time as the Krause Group bought the Butler Apartments. A building permit for 52 apartments was requested by Harry Herndon Polk in April of 1915. A café opened in the building in September of 1915. In 1938 the Bankers Life Company remodeled the building, making the 52 larger apartments into 72 smaller units. According to a Register article by Kim Norvell of August 2, 2021, it is planned to be rehabbed. At that time the tenants were told their leases would not be renewed so the extent of the repairs needed could be assessed better when the building became vacant. The rents were very affordable and are expected to increase after the building is redone, but the company pledges to keep some of the units affordable. Even though the company would prefer to not to raze the structure, it is still a possibility if the extent of the repairs needed becomes too costly.
Hull Avenue Tavern (Snusville): 834 Hull Avenue
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Often referred to as the oldest tavern in Des Moines, the Hull Avenue Tavern consists of three storefronts that have had various uses since the building was constructed around 1920. It was occupied by Gilhousen Grocery, Red Ball store, a plumber, a doctor and a jeweler until 1935. After Prohibition ended in 1933, the first tavern was the H.B. Inn, which opened 90 years ago. The name changed over the years to Cash’s Inn and then Charlie’s Inn until it became the Hull Avenue Tavern in 1960. The building was at the end of the streetcar line for that part of the city, and the area became a popular commercial district to shop or get a drink before going home. The area was known as Snusville. Speculation is that it received that name because of the high number of Danish and Swedish people who lived in the area around what is now Grand View University and because of the popular chewing tobacco that originated in Sweden. The Hull Avenue Tavern closed in 2024 and the future of the building is uncertain.