Saving Historic Structures in Des Moines Planning Meeting
Late last week, Axios reported the City of Des Moines approved the demolition of 1410 19th Street, Des Moines, a house listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Edward B. and Nettie E. Evans House. I was able to walk through the house last night with the current owner and can report that the house is entirely savable: good foundation, structural integrity, and the roof repair has been started.
We have to stop doing this. We need to prioritize saving these structures for all they can be: affordable housing, job creators, carbon sinks for the environment, and iconic beauties of our neighborhoods.
The City of Des Moines did a study called “ReflectDSM: Honoring All Des Moines Histories” in which the opening statement is “Des Moines is changing the way it thinks about historic preservation.” But that idea and the ideas stated in the study are not reflected in the vote to demolish this building.
I have been thinking since the Highland Apartments Building was torn down that we need a new non-profit in Des Moines. We need a place where people who own historic buildings can come for help in navigating the historic preservation landscape. A place where kids who are struggling in high school with ADHD and learning challenges can get hands-on knowledge in the historic building trades that will allow them to go almost anywhere and have good paying jobs and a work life that thrives on their learning differences. A place where we can store and sell the architectural resources from the buildings that cannot be saved and put them to good use in restoring the buildings that can be saved. A place where people can learn to understand and appreciate the value of historic buildings and learn to care for them.
Everything I wrote in “Des Moines Needs to Prioritize Preservation” is more true than ever. While I don’t have all the details worked out, I have been thinking about this for years, and I have decided to share my vision with the world a bit ahead of schedule in the hopes that we can work together to stop tearing down these buildings sooner because we are strongest when we work together.
Please join us tonight (1/30) at The Barnum Factory at 7 PM. You’ll be able to see most of the materials we salvaged from Highland Apartments. You can see some of the materials we harvested in use in the house recently completed by our sister company, Hat Trick Renovation in these photos. If you’re seeing this too late to join us tonight, please reach out through our contact page and stay tuned for more information.
