Two former schools, prominent downtown apartments and what is known as the oldest tavern in Des Moines are among the seven most endangered historic buildings, according to the Des Moines Heritage Trust’s list of buildings that are at serious risk of demolition or irreversible decline.

The list, released today, is intended to raise awareness of the buildings, share their histories and encourage action to preserve them for future generations.

Tim Waddell, president of the trust, said the buildings are links to the city’s cultural, educational and commercial past.

“This year’s list features some of Des Moines’ oldest and most storied buildings, with roots tracing back to the 1800s,” he said in a news release. “They’ve housed schools, supported once-thriving businesses, and even served as the site of Des Moines’ oldest tavern. These spaces helped shape the lives of the people who lived, worked, and learned within their walls.”

The list is compiled from public nominations, which are winnowed down to the seven that make the list each year. The seven most endangered buildings with descriptions provided by the Des Moines Heritage Trust are:

Grant School: 1031 23rd St., Des Moines

Grant School, built in 1885, is located just east of Drake Park. It was recently designated as a local landmark by the city of Des Moines. Grant School, named after Ulysses S. Grant, was built for the Des Moines Westside School District. It originally had six classrooms, but four more were added in 1895 and six more were added in 1910. The building has been owned by the New Life Center since 1978. Used as a religious center, a sanctuary was added in 1981 and is still in use. The original building is no longer being used and is not heated. Inspections have shown the building is still stable, and although it has landmark status, it is not protected from neglect or vandalism.

1370 23rd St. and 2312 Forest Ave., Des Moines

1370 23rd St. and 2312 Forest Ave. are connected by more than just common utilities. The house located at 1370 23rd St. is a house with roots in Victoriana with covered porches, stained glass and tower rooms, but does not appear in city records at that location until 1934. It was apparently moved to the location in 1933 by Richard D. Edward, a real estate agent who also built the commercial building on the west part of the lot which faced Forest. At that time, Forest Avenue was designated as U.S. Highway 6 in Des Moines which connected with Hickman Road via Beaver Avenue. A large commercial district developed from 19th to 34th streets and included restaurants, professional offices, drug stores and grocery stores. The house was divided into several apartments and the commercial building to the west. It contained a second-story apartment where Edward lived until his death in 1959. The commercial property was occupied by many businesses over the years including, the Blue Willow restaurant, Cardinal Cleaners, Le Creperie, the Soup Kitchen, Whole Planet Café and most recently LaRosa Mexican restaurant.

2022, 2024, 2026 S.E. Sixth St., Des Moines (Sevastopol)

The buildings are adjacent on Southeast Sixth Street and were part of the original Main Street of the town of Sevastopol, which was incorporated in 1877 but its roots go back to 1855 as a settlement laid out by James Sherman just south of the Des Moines River. The building at 2026 was built in 1872 prior to the incorporation of Sevastopol. It is likely one of the oldest commercial buildings still standing in Des Moines. All three storefronts have second stories that have been used for apartments, fraternal organizations and community halls. The storefronts contained businesses such as Ray Brothers, Pidgeon’s Grocery, Hartford Variety Store and Capitol Coal Company. Sevastopol’s growth was spurred by two of the largest coal mines in Polk County including the Pioneer Mine owned by Wesley Redhead. Sevastopol was annexed by Des Moines in 1890, with its Main Street being changed to Southeast Sixth Street. The three storefronts were purchased by Invest DSM in 2024.

Chesterfield (Scott) School – 2501 Maury St., Des Moines

The town of Chesterfield began as a Des Moines suburb in 1882 after being a part of the William Lamb farm. Lamb came to the area in 1843 and grew many of the food crops for the soldiers located at Fort Des Moines 2, after contracting with Capt. James Allen. Chesterfield School was built around 1890, about the time Chesterfield was annexed by the city of Des Moines. Talks began around 1913 to add seventh and eighth grades to the school, and its name was changed to Scott in honor of W.A. Scott, who donated the land where the state Capitol is located. He is the only person buried on the Capitol grounds. The Maury Street location has been used for many purposes, including a streetcar turnaround. In 1951, 46 single-story concrete block houses were built to replace shacks that were located by the old city dump. The school has been used for food stamp distribution services and other community activities. The city bought the building in 1975 for $1 and built greenhouses in 2005 for the city horticultural department. That is now closed and the building is no longer being used.

Butler Apartments (Gas Lamp): 1501 Grand Ave./510 15th St.

Nearly 120 years old, the four-story Butler Apartment/Gas Lamp Building was built in 1906. It had 16 apartments and two retail spaces. Of the Renaissance/Georgian style, it is a good example of the early 20th century design that combined commercial and residential spaces. The H.S. Chase Grocery Store and Meat Market were the original tenants of both of the retail sections facing Grand Avenue. The 16 apartments used the 15th Street address and entrance. Today, there are 23 apartments. For at least 50 years, the commercial bays have been home to music venues such as Blues on Grand, Vicky’s Pour House and Gas Lamp. The closing notice for Gas Lamp stated the building will be included in further redevelopment in the Gateway District, but Gas Lamp was not in that plan. Having passed through several owners in the last few years, a subsidiary of the former Kum & Go Corp. bought the building and the Jefferson Apartments in 2015 as plans were being made for their new headquarters just across the street to the east. The real estate arm of Krause Group, Krause+, has already successfully applied for $23 million in state tax incentives to redevelop the area.

The Jefferson Apartments: 1519 Grand Ave., Des Moines

Built in 1915, the Jefferson Apartments building was purchased in 2015 by Krause+ at the same time it bought the Butler Apartments. A building permit for 52 apartments was requested by Harry Herndon Polk in April 1915. A café opened in the building in September of that year. The Bankers Life Company remodeled the building in 1938, converting the apartments into 72 smaller units. According to a August 2021 Des Moines Register article, there were plans to rehab the building. Tenants were told their leases would not be renewed so the extent of repairs could be better assessed. Although there are plans to rehab the building, demolition remains a possibility if repairs become too costly.

Hull Avenue Tavern (Snusville) – 834 Hull Ave., Des Moines

Often referred to as the oldest tavern in Des Moines, the Hull Avenue Tavern consists of three storefronts that have had various uses since the building was constructed around 1920. It was occupied by Gilhousen Grocery, Red Ball store, a plumber, doctor and jeweler until 1935. After Prohibition ended in 1934, the first tavern was the H.B. Inn, which opened 90 years ago. The name changed over the years to Cash’s Inn and then Charlie’s Inn until it became the Hull Avenue Tavern in 1960. The building was at the end of the streetcar line for that part of the city, and the area became a popular commercial district to shop or get a drink before going home. The area was known as Snusville. Speculation is that it received that name because of the high number of Danish and Swedish people who lived in the area around what is now Grand View University and because of the popular chewing tobacco that originated in Sweden. The Hull Avenue Tavern closed in 2024 and the future of the building is uncertain.

This is the seventh year the endangered buildings list has been published, and between 30 and 35 buildings have been featured with some buildings appearing more than once.

Waddell told the Business Record that in his memory only three buildings that were on the list have been razed with many more success stories, including the Ingersoll Theatre, which is now under renovation.

Waddell said while the list raises a flag about the risks facing the buildings, it also highlights opportunities for redevelopment.

“We’re sounding an alarm, yes, because we think there’s a potential and … we’re hoping to spur on [redevelopment],” he said. “You realize you have something there and it might be valuable. It might be important to retain and to make it something useful.”

During the organization’s recent Historic Preservation Awards Dinner, Waddell told the Business Record that preserving historic buildings is important to the city’s culture.

“People don’t realize how important a building is to our culture,” he said at the May 15 event. “Can you imagine being without some of these edifices like the state Capitol, like Salisbury House, like Terrace Hill? People can’t imagine our city without those. But there’s many smaller versions, too, that we see every day and appreciate. Part of the importance is that people see things that have great memories for them … those iconic buildings that everybody remembers, and it’s important for us to retain that memory for people in the future.”