Downtown in Des Moines in Polk County, Iowa — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Homestead Building

Iowa Historic Site

— 1893 —

Homestead Building Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 8, 2024

1. Homestead Building Marker

Inscription.
This property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places

Erected by Iowa State Historical Department; Division of Historic Preservation.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Architecture • Arts, Letters, Music. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1893.

Location. 41° 35.261′ N, 93° 37.293′ W. Marker is in Des Moines, Iowa, in Polk County. It is in Downtown. It is at the intersection of Locust Street and Third Street, on the left when traveling east on Locust Street. The marker is to the right of the door to the building, which as of 2024 is the headquarters for Hartung Schroeder, a law firm. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 303 Locust Street, 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

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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 Savery Hotel (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Iowa Commission for the Blind Building (about 700 feet away); Hawkeye Insurance Co. (approx. 0.2 miles away); A Monumental Journey (approx. 0.2 miles away); Ronald W. Reagan (approx. 0.2 miles away); Civil Rights Victory (approx. ¼ mile away); The First Licensed Ferry (approx. ¼ mile away); Scottish Rite Consistory Building (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Des Moines.

Regarding Homestead Building. The eastern third of the building, at the corner of 3rd and Locust, was constructed in 1893; the western two-thirds, which today include this small historical marker, was built in 1905.

The Homestead Building was erected for Iowa Homestead, a newspaper founded by Henry Wallace, the grandfather of future U.S. Vice President Henry A. Wallace. Wallace also founded of another agricultural newspaper called Wallaces' Farmer; the two publications merged in 1929.

Homestead Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 8, 2024

2. Homestead Building

According to a 1984 article in the Des Moines Register, this 1893 building was erected after a fire destroyed the Homestead's original home. Then in 1913, a fire badly damaged this building and destroyed much of the newspaper's production equipment. That fire, combined with the newspaper's rapid growth—its circulation topped 100,000 subscribers—led the company to erect a new headquarters about 1¼ miles west of here on Grand Avenue. That building, called the Wallace-Homestead Building, also still stands and today is the home of Central Academy, a Des Moines public school.

Also see . . .
1. Homestead Building. Wikipedia entry:
Links to National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form (Submitted on September 13, 2024, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

2. Homestead Building. Iowa Architectural Foundation website entry (Submitted on September 11, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

3. A Magazine Called Wallaces' Farmer. From PBS Iowa, a look at the Wallaces' Farmer magazine, which eventually merged with Iowa Homestead (Submitted on September 11, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Credits. This page was last revised on September 13, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 11, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 316 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 11, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.