The building, located at 200 Euclid, contains a mix of retail and apartment space, and was built in the early 1900s.Photo: Polk County Assessor
(Des Moines, IA) -- The Des Moines City Council will vote Monday afternoon on a plan to acquire and restore a notable historic property in Highland Park. The Polk County Assessor says the vacant three story building, located at 200 Euclid Avenue, contains retail space, along with 12 apartments that are currently uninhabitable. Under the proposal, the city would purchase the block building, originally built in 1907, for $500,000.
First built as an International Order of Odd Fellows fraternity hall, it served the original Des Moines University, Highland Park College, and other schools that occupied a campus formerly located on the opposite corner across from the property, where Park Fair Mall currently sits.
The building was substantially remodeled in 1930, 1947, 1951, 1973-74, and 1996, according to the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form and Des Moines City Council. Repairs would be monitored, reviewed and approved under consultation with the State Historic Preservation Office of Iowa. The building and district were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
A similar nearby building, the Highland Apartments, formerly located at the southwest corner of 6th and Euclid, was torn down late last year, after falling into severe disrepair.