Preservation Corps United
A Premier Trade School in the Heart of Des Moines that provides expert education in historic preservation & restoration to homeowners and construction professionals.
Founded in 2022 by Tanya Keith with the belief that the best way to honor our community is to restore its history.
Join us on our journey of preserving the historic community in Des Moines.
Tanya Keith, Owner
Education: 2.5 years of Industrial Design program at Carnegie Mellon University, BFA Interior Design from Iowa State University with minors in Craft Design: Woodworking and Sociology
NCIDQ Certified Interior Designer since 2001
Small Business Administration’s e200 Streetwise MBA, Class of 2009 – an MBA type program targeted for business owners in marginalized neighborhoods.
Des Moines Business Record’s 40 Under Forty Award class of 2007
Belvedere School for Hands on Preservation Certificates: Passive Wood Floor Restoration, Building Wooden Storm Windows, Restoration of Historic Stained Glass, Historic Plaster Repair, Historic Masonry Repair
Certified in Window Restoration by David Wadsworth.
Doug Jotzke, Instructor
Education: BS Mechanical Engineering Carnegie Mellon University 1992
National Referee US Soccer, 1999-2010, Referee 1989-2015
Doug, aka "Mr Tanya" is a lifelong builder raised by Don Jotzke, the Structural Engineer behind the Des Moines Botanical Center, a few downtown skywalks, and many other well-known central Iowa buildings. After a childhood spent building things with his Dad and a career as a Mechanical Engineer in Continuous Improvement, Doug joined Hat Trick Renovation in 2022 to work in Historic Construction full time. He keeps our team continuously improving and can demonstrate almost any general construction thing you want to know about rehabbing old buildings.
Bob Yapp, Guest Instructor
Des Moines native Bob Yapp has been in preservation since his high school days at Roosevelt High School when he worked to restore houses in Sherman Hill. In 2008, he founded the (Link https://bobyapp.com/) Belvedere School for Hands On Preservation in Hannibal, Missouri, where he and his instructors teach historic preservation skills. While attending workshops with Bob starting in 2020, Tanya began to formulate a plan for a similar school in Des Moines, which she opened in 2022 with Bob as a key advisor. Coming in October, 2023, Bob will be teaching an in-person class in Des Moines at PCU. Stay tuned for more information coming soon!