East Des Moines Industrial Historic District
National Register of Historic Places

East Des Moines Industrial Historic District

Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa
Listed
October 4, 2017
Type
District
Ref No.
100001700

About this property

The East Des Moines Industrial Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in the East Village of Des Moines, Iowa, United States, directly east of the Downtown Des Moines area. At the time of its nomination it consisted of 45 resources, which included 31 contributing buildings, four contributing sites, three contributing structures, six non-contributing buildings and two non-contributing structures. It also includes the Northwestern Hotel, which was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The historic district was listed on the NRHP in 2017. The district's boundaries were increased in 2023 to include another building. The period of significance is c. 1874, when the oldest building in the district was built, to 1956. It is a rare-surviving group of manufacturing, warehousing, and railroad-related properties in the city. In 1957 plans for what is now Interstate 235 were announced. Urban Renewal districts were added to this area in subsequent decades, which brought an end to investment in the district. The contributing buildings are the last remaining warehouse and manufacturing buildings that are left on the near east side of Des Moines. The contributing structures include two railroad bridges and a pump house and the contributing sites are the locations of extant or former railroad rail bed and rail siding segments. The district's "buildings, structures, and sites that show variety in architectural appearance, materials, and technological progression reflective of the period of significance."

Location

Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa

Categories

COMMERCEINDUSTRYTRANSPORTATIONARCHITECTURE
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Questions about this property

When was East Des Moines Industrial Historic District listed on the National Register?

East Des Moines Industrial Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 4, 2017.

What type of historic resource is East Des Moines Industrial Historic District?

East Des Moines Industrial Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

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Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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