SEPTEMBER COMMERCIAL PERMITS: Sanctuary, tower demolished at former D.M. church site

SEPTEMBER COMMERCIAL PERMITS: Sanctuary, tower demolished at former D.M. church site

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KATHY A. BOLTEN | Oct 28, 2020 | 1:07 pm |

2 min read time

The sanctuary and bell tower have been demolished at the former Church of Christ, Scientist site at 3759 Grand Ave. in Des Moines. A demolition permit valued at $395,950 was issued on Sept. 11. The remaining portion of the church will be renovated. A high-rise condominium is planned where the sanctuary was located. Photo by Kathy A. Bolten Photo below: The church as it appeared in 1999. Photo courtesy of the Polk County Assessor

In September, a $395,950 permit was issued for the demolition of a portion of the church, Des Moines building permit records show. The permit was among the 45 issued in the Des Moines-area in September.

The $39.8 million condo project at 3750 Grand Ave. in Des Moines includes the construction of an eight-story building that will have 40 condo units.

Harry Bookey and Pamela Bass-Bookey, owners of BH Equities real estate investment firm, are the project’s developers. They plan to convert the remaining portion of the church into a large club room, cafe lounge for residents, fitness center and suites for overnight visitors. A swimming pool, sun deck and green area for dogs are also planned.

Construction is expected to take about 18 months.

Other September building highlights include:

• A permit valued at $10.7 million was issued for the conversion of a former toy store into an outpatient clinic for veterans. The clinic, which will be located in the former Toy R Us building at 1211 E. Army Post Road in Des Moines, will offer a variety of services including primary care, mental health, radiology, physical rehabilitation, prosthetic services and a pathology laboratory. Johnson Healthcare Real Estate, based in Birmingham, Ala., is the project’s developer.

• A permit valued at $6.2 million was issued for the construction of a three-story apartment building with 43 units at 6313 Douglas Ave. in Urbandale. The apartment units will be affordably priced.

• A permit valued at $1 million was issued for the construction of a Steak ‘N Shake restaurant at 815 S. 51st St. in West Des Moines. The 6,412-square-foot sit-down restaurant will also include a drive-thru, according to city documents.

WATCH TOWER DEMOLITION: To watch a video of the demolition of the bell tower at the former Church of Christ, Scientist site, click here. The video was provided by Neumann Bros., the project’s general contractor.

Interactive commercial building permit map

Commercial building permits valued at more than $66.1 million were issued for projects in 13 Des Moines-area communities and Polk County in September 2020, data from the permits shows. Click here to view an interactive map that shows what commercial building permits were issued in the Des Moines area between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, 2020. To view a spreadsheet that includes the commercial building permit information, click here.