Municipal Building
About this property
The Des Moines City Hall is a government building in Des Moines, Iowa, built in 1909 and 1910. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 10, 1977 as the Municipal Building, and became a contributing property in the Civic Center Historic District in 1988. The building served as the seat for the government of the city of Des Moines for 114 years and 29 days. In January 2026, this building was vacated and officially designated as the Des Moines Historic City Hall. The City of Des Moines is retaining ownership of the building. This City Hall location served as the administrative center for the City of Des Moines from January 1, 1912, to January 29, 2026. The City of Des Moines, Iowa’s capital city and the county seat of Polk County, continues to serve more than 214,000 residents across 46 neighborhoods. While this building is now closed, city services remain fully operational at the City’s new City Hall location, inside TM Franklin Cownie City Administration Building at 1200 Locust Street. Beginning April 7, 2016, City Hall offices were temporarily relocated while the building underwent renovation. The construction was necessary to install modern heating, cooling, and sprinkler systems while preserving the historic character of the building. The project was expected to take 18–24 months. During that time, City Hall was closed to the public, and City offices moved to other nearby locations. Between February 26, 2018 and April 9, 2018, city offices moved back to City Hall.
Location
Categories
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.
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Questions about this property
When was Municipal Building listed on the National Register?
Municipal Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 10, 1977.
What type of historic resource is Municipal Building?
Municipal Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Municipal Building?
The period of significance for Municipal Building is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Municipal Building?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Municipal Building will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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