National Register of Historic Places

Seth Richards Commercial Block

Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa
Listed
March 11, 2005
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
01001460

About this property

The Seth Richards Commercial Block, also known as the Lederer-Strauss Building, is a historic building located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Its construction represents the transition of Court Avenue from a retail center to the city's wholesale district. Seth Richards had acquired the property that had been the location of several business houses. One of the lots had been owned by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The four-story brick Romanesque Revival building was constructed in two parts. The commercial blocks at 300-302 and 304-306 were completed and occupied in 1890, and 308-310 was completed and occupied by 1897. Various wholesale clothing firms occupied the various blocks, but by 1920 Lederer, Strauss & Co., Inc., a millinery fabricator and wholesaler, occupied the entire building. The family-run business was sold in 1944 to the Hiersteiners, who incorporated the business as the Landsco Millinery Co. The business was scaled back, and they occupied less of the block, which was filled with other wholesalers by the mid-1950s. In 1957 the Landsco Millinery Co. was liquidated. The building has been converted for other retail uses in the Court Avenue Entertainment District after this area ceased being a wholesale center. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

Location

300-310 Court Ave.
Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa
41.58529, -93.60845

Categories

ARCHITECTURECOMMERCEOTHER-ETHNIC
National Register nomination ›
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.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Hotel Kirkwood
Industrial
0.1 mi
Des Moines Western Railway Freight House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Des Moines Building
Industrial
0.3 mi
Northwestern Hotel
Industrial
0.3 mi
Syndicate Block
Industrial
0.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Seth Richards Commercial Block listed on the National Register?

Seth Richards Commercial Block was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 11, 2005.

What type of historic resource is Seth Richards Commercial Block?

Seth Richards Commercial Block is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Seth Richards Commercial Block?

The period of significance for Seth Richards Commercial Block is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Seth Richards Commercial Block?

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