UPCOMING EVENTS
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SAVE THE DATE: Jan. 18, 2014
Des Moines Historical Society Annual Meeting & Banquet
Italian American Cultural Center of Iowa
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HISTORIC PRESERVATION NEWS
Jackson Street / Southwest 5th Street Bridge Endangered
At its Nov. 26, 2013, meeting, the Des Moines Park and Recreation Board will discuss the City Manager’s recommendation to demolish the 1898 Jackson Street/SW 5th Street Bridge. According to the Historic American Engineering Record Report (1995), the bridge ranks among Iowa’s most significant vehicular spans and is one of Iowa’s few remaining “pinned Pratt through trusses” with three or more spans. The bridge is exceptionally important in its representation of early urban wagon bridge construction, according to the report. The controversies which surround the construction of the bridge also illuminate patterns of development in Des Moines and the nature of bridge contracting at the turn of the century. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. The Park & Rec Board will vote on the issue at its December meeting (TBA).
Read the full 1995 Historic American Engineering Record Report
Read the 1998 National Register of Historic Places Nomination form for the bridge
Read Des Moines Register editorials from 1993 regarding possible demolition of the bridge
Sign the online petition
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REMEMBERING THE NAMESAKES OF DMPS SCHOOLS
The Des Moines Public Schools has posted a Flickr photo essay of the final resting places of the namesakes of several of the district’s schools, both past and present. Each photo includes a brief biographical note about the namesake along with the photo.
There are 30 schools represented in this set of photos. Some schools (i.e. East, North, Oak Park) are not named after people and others (i.e. Lincoln, Roosevelt, Jefferson, etc.) are named after people not buried in Iowa. However, there are several cases (Callanan, Brubaker, Lovejoy, Findley and Moulton being some examples) of schools in which DMPS was not able to find the grave site location for these individuals.
If you have any thoughts or information that might help complete the “set” of those buried in Des Moines, please email Phil Roeder, Des Moines Public Schools Director of Community Relations, phillip.roeder@dmschools.org
Are you looking for Des Moines, Washington, Historical Society? Click here: http://www.dmhs.org
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THIS PLACE MATTERS: SAVE THE ROW HOUSE!
Are you interested in historic preservation? The Des Moines Historical Society successfully intervened to help save one of the last remaining examples of a row house in Des Moines. Dating from 1880, the row house at 709 E. Locust pre-dates the State Capitol (opened 1886). DMHS worked with city and state leaders as well as private individuals to help make this happen.
Please visit the Save the Row House Facebook page for all current updates.
Photo: Chris "CJ" Johnson, left; and Denny Carlson stand in front of the row house at 709 E. Locust in downtown Des Moines to show their support for the National Trust for Historic Preservation's "This Place Matters" campaign.