The renovation and expansion of an iconic white mansion that overlooks Gray’s Lake and downtown Des Moines is expected to begin this summer with much of the work completed by fall 2026.

Members of the Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa have spent more than two years planning and raising money for the center at 2633 Fleur Drive in Des Moines. The Art Deco-style structure is locally known as the Butler Mansion.

Improvements and additions to the original mansion and its expansions are estimated at $20 million. The group has raised about $11 million, from a mix of both public and private dollars, said Jeff Lamberti, chairman of the center’s board of governors.

“I feel really good about where we’re at with the fundraising,” Lamberti said.

Neumann Brothers, located in Des Moines, is the project’s general contractor; RDG Planning and Design’s Des Moines office provided the project’s designs.

Office space in the structure at 2633 Fleur Drive will be transformed into a two-story event venue that will host a wide range of gatherings. The space will hold up to 250 people on each floor but can also be made smaller for more intimate gatherings. Rendering by Matt Coen, RDG Planning & Design

Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa supporters envision international tournaments to be held at the bocce pavilion that will include five indoor courts. Local tournaments, league play and lessons are also planned at the pavilion, which will cost about $5.5 million to build. Center backers hope to sell naming rights to the bocce pavilion. Rendering by Matt Coen, RDG Planning & Design

The Butler Mansion, which included 28 rooms when it was completed in 1937, has a ramp that connects one floor to another. The rendering depicts a groom waiting to see the bride for the first time in her gown. Rendering by Matt Coen, RDG Planning & Design

The east side of what’s locally known as the Butler Mansion will become the main entrance to the Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa. Work on the mansion at 2633 Fleur Drive is expected to begin in July and be completed by fall 2026. Construction includes updates to the interior and two additions to the facility, whose first phase was completed in the mid-1930s. Rendering by Matt Coen, RDG Planning & Design

A portion of the Butler Mansion is being transformed into four suites that can be used for overnight lodging. The suites will embody the mansion’s Art Deco aesthetics. Rendering by Matt Coen, RDG Planning & Design

Food is a significant part of Italian culture. The Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa, 2633 Fleur Drive, will offer cooking classes in an area that reflects a modern interpretation of a classic Italian home kitchen. A commercial kitchen will support the cooking classes and will also be used to prepare on-site meals. Rendering by Matt Coen, RDG Planning & Design

Over the years, additions to the Butler Mansion created an enclosed courtyard. The area will accommodate outdoor seating and be used during outdoor events. Rendering by Matt Coen, RDG Planning & Design

A main goal of supporters of the Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa is sharing Italian culture with Iowans and others. The education suite will include a small classroom and four conference rooms. A private office area is planned to accommodate the center’s partnership with Des Moines Area Community College for on-site and virtual tutoring and mentoring sessions. Center supporters envision a variety of educational programs to be held in the area including language classes and cultural demonstrations. Rendering by Matt Coen, RDG Planning & Design

A museum at the Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa will fill two floors, accommodating permanent and traveling exhibits. The museum will also include a retail marketplace with a variety of products from Italian companies. Rendering by Matt Coen, RDG Planning & Design

An aerial view of what the Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa will look like when an expansion and renovations are completed in fall 2026. The $20 million project is expected to include a bocce pavilion, planned to the south of what’s known as the Butler Mansion. Fleur Drive is to the west of the 7-acre parcel. Rendering by Matt Coen, RDG Planning & Design

A bocce pavilion with five indoor courts and one on the roof is planned on the south side of the Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa, 2633 Fleur Drive. Rendering by Matt Coen, RDG Planning & Design

A 1,620-square-foot two-story addition is planned at the Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa that will be primarily for pre-event functions. The area will feature a signature staircase, elevator and fireplace. Guests will be able to access the courtyard, museum and other spaces at the center from the pre-function space without going through the banquet hall. Rendering by Matt Coen, RDG Planning & Design

A two-story atrium will function as a gathering area before events at the Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa, 2633 Fleur Drive. Two large event venues will adjoin the atrium. Rendering by Matt Coen, RDG Planning & Design

The Italian-American center previously was located at 1961 Indianola Ave. The center’s new location will allow the organization to expand its offerings, particularly in the area of education, said Loretta Sieman, a member of the capital campaign committee and the center’s board of governors.

The mansion, originally about 10,500 square feet, was built in the mid-1930s by Earl Butler, an engineer and world traveler. The mansion includes white concrete walls, curved interiors, ramps that connect the three levels and indirect interior lighting.

The mansion has been expanded at least three times, increasing the structure’s size to more than 38,000 square feet.

Two more expansions are planned: a 1,620-square-foot addition that will be in the courtyard on the east side of the property and a bocce pavilion, planned just south of the mansion.

The two-story addition will include a pre-event space featuring a zigzag-shaped glass entryway. The shape of the glass facade was inspired by the original entry to the Butler Mansion, which includes zigzag-shaped windows.

Matt Coen, a principal at RDG Design & Planning, wrote in an email that the new space “will provide airy and light-filled connections to both levels of the banquet space.” The pre-event space, or atrium, will feature a signature staircase, new elevator and fireplace, “providing a flexible room for a variety of uses when not being used for banquets,” he wrote.

The center’s main entry will be on the east side of the building, near most of the venue’s parking. An existing courtyard is currently enclosed on all four sides, Coen wrote. A passageway that was added in 1993 will be removed, he wrote. 

“This change will allow direct entry into a variety of functions at the center from the courtyard space, which will be known as the Via Dei Beni Culturali,” Coen wrote.

The new bocce pavilion will include five indoor regulation-sized courts, located below grade level. An additional court will be included on the roof of the pavilion. Cost to develop the bocce pavilion is estimated at $5.5 million, a price included in the overall renovation and expansion costs.

Sieman said the group is exploring selling naming rights for the bocce pavilion.

“Everyone is excited about the pavilion,” Sieman said. “It’s a very popular sport, especially with young people. … We think we’ll be able to hold some international tournaments here.”

Also planned at the center are a two-story museum, cafe and education suite with classrooms, commercial kitchen, conference rooms and private offices. The center plans to provide tutoring for high school and community college students; language classes including Italian; and dance classes.

“We’re going to have a lot going on here,” Sieman said. “It’s going to be a very busy place.”

The museum, designed to look like an Italian street, will “tell the story of Iowa’s Italians,” Lamberti said. It also will include traveling and permanent exhibits. The museum space will be climate controlled and is “the most expensive space in the whole building,” Lamberti said.

A former three-vehicle garage at the mansion will be converted into a marketplace that will sell Italian-made products.

Four suites for overnight use are also planned. The suites, with floor-to-ceiling windows, will be able to be used by wedding parties and be available for the public to rent.

“If you rented all four, you could basically rent the whole mansion,” Lamberti said. “The dining room would be available; the entertainment areas would be available.”

The Iowa Genealogical Society, at 628 E. Grand Ave., had planned on relocating to the center.  However, there wasn’t enough space available to meet the society’s needs, Lamberti said.

“We just couldn’t make it work, which was surprising,” he said.

Butler Mansion facts

Address: 2633 Fleur Drive, Des Moines

Year construction began: 1934, according to Polk County Assessor

Original owner: Earl Butler, an engineer and world traveler

Other owners: Open Bible College, Jack Kragie and Elizabeth Newell, and Bob Boesen, from whom the Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa acquired the property.

Total number of rooms: 28, plus 10 bathrooms

Total square footage: Originally 13,000

Central ramp: Seven levels of the house accessed by 300-foot-long ramp

Amount of steel used to build original house: 110 tons

Amount of concrete in original house: 115 train-car loads

Other tidbits: The mansion was called the “Home of the Future” in the late 1930s because it included: automatic heating and air conditioning; automatic water softening; electric garbage disposal;, dishwasher; dish towel dryer; garage door opener; cold storage room for freezing game; ice cube freezer with 675-cube capacity; 19,000 feet of telephone cable connecting eight telephones; and in the dining room, a frosted-glass panel that concealed 96 red, blue and yellow light bulbs that allowed the room to be any color.

Unique features: A spotlight made by General Electric that was installed in a room on the top story of the house. In inclement weather, Butler helped guide airplanes to the airport. Also, a secret room on a lower level that Butler installed to store alcoholic beverages. 

Property’s current assessed valuation: $3.9 million (The property is tax-exempt because it is owned by a nonprofit group.)