Downtown in Des Moines in Polk County, Iowa — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
The Historic Center Street Neighborhood
November 6, 2023
1. The Historic Center Street Neighborhood Marker
People lived and worked here. They shopped and prayed here. They gathered here to celebrate life. Welcome to what was Iowa's most vibrant Black community the historic Center Street neighborhood, stretching from 15th Street to Keosauqua Way. Between the early 1900s and late 1960s, this neighborhood was one of the few areas that Blacks could proudly call their own. Black-owned businesses lined Center Street grocery stores, hotels, jazz clubs, restaurants, doctors' and dentists' offices, and more. The Crocker YMCA and Willkie House served the needs of youth. One of the first pharmacies in Iowa and the first school of cosmetology both Black owned were here. There were affordable homes and apartments where Black residents raised their families. In the 1960s, the city's urban renewal plan displaced homeowners and businesses to accommodate the MacVicar Freeway (I-235) and public services. Iowa Methodist Medical Center celebrates this historic neighborhood and its people with this marker in Center Street Park.
Erected 2022 by the Polk County Housing Trust Fund and the State Historical Society of Iowa with funding support from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. (Marker Number 53.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans
this page online
Location. 41° 35.461′ N, 93° 38.066′ W. Marker is in Des Moines, Iowa, in Polk County. It is in Downtown. It is on Pleasant Street west of 12th Street, on the right when traveling west. Located in Center Street Park, a block north of the main entrance to UnityPoint Health - Iowa Methodist Medical Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1200 Pleasant St, Des Moines IA 50309, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 'The Gift' from Rotary To The Children of the World (a few steps from this marker); St Paul's Cathedral and Garden (approx. 0.3 miles away); Willkie House (approx. 0.4 miles away); The First Public Schoolhouse (approx. half a mile away); Scottish Rite Consistory Building (approx. half a mile away); Civil Rights Victory
November 6, 2023
2. The Historic Center Street Neighborhood Marker
Also see . . .
1. Before I-235, Des Moines' Center Street district... - Little Village. (Submitted on November 10, 2023.)
2. Historic marker honors displaced Black business district in Des Moines. Iowa Public Radio website entry (Submitted on November 10, 2023.)
November 6, 2023
3. The Historic Center Street Neighborhood Marker, from the south
November 6, 2023
4. The Historic Center Street Neighborhood Marker, from the north
Credits. This page was last revised on November 30, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 9, 2023. This page has been viewed 909 times since then and 79 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 9, 2023. 3, 4. submitted on November 10, 2023.
