116 Fifth Street

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Evaluation:

This is a contributing Fifth Street building within the historic district. It is an early commercial building (1894).

District Characteristic	Yes	No	Findings/Recommendations
Two-story brick with narrow mass		X
Larger, broader massing		X
Other key façade features		X
Architectural style		X
Prominent location		X
Original façade materials	X
Upper fenestration pattern		X
Sympathetic Storefront Infill		X
Brick corbelled parapet			The parapet is unadorned save for flanking pilasters.
Cornice/coping (not metal)		X

Physical Description:

This is a very plain light brown brick single-story building. A wood cornice, certainly of recent vintage, copies one present as of 1968 and this caps a fixed awning that covers the transom front. The parapet front is low-cut and lacks ornamentation apart from a tile coping. The storefront has a right-hand side entry with transom and the storefront was present as it as of 1968. Transom area structural elements likely survive. The core building with a 7 feet offset wing, measures 17 feet by 53 feet. The rear addition, of varied length, adds 66 feet to the depth.

Documented Alterations:

The 1968 storefront has gained a fixed black awning and wooden door with wooden screen door. Permits date to 1979 and contractor Greg Arganbright built a $55,000 800 square feet brick addition (permit dated May 23, 2000). The storefront curiously has recently gained and lost an awning and a mixed paint scheme.

Commercial History:

Business	Owner	Start	Stop	Notes of Interest
Isabel Bloom			current
Fun on Fifth Boutique		2012
Tall Grass Grocery Coop		2011	2012
Fair World Gallery	Christine McNunn	2004	2011	Wood furniture aka McNunn’s Gallery
		2000		contractor Greg Arganbright built a $55,000 800 square feet brick addition (permit dated May 23,2000).
Out of Hand	Karen & Steven Steininger	1990	2004	116 Fifth, claims to date from 1983 (not found), third location
Craft Gallery & Peddlers		1995
Especially Lace	Ruth DeCook	1986	1992	From 120 1/2 Fifth, two years old
Country Enjoyments		1984	1985	Opens November 1984
Hackman’s Ltd. Antique Shop	Kevin Hackman, Gary Edman	1981	1984
Hawkeye Builders & Construction		1968	1980
Bells Furniture Repair		1964		Smoke and water damage due to nearby fire
Rhiner’s Plumbing & Heating		1958	1960
Symphony Photo Art Studio	August Palandri, Robert O’Callaghan	1947		Photography and supplies
Des Moines Taxi Service	Harold Freeland	1947		City’s first taxi permit, charter auto and air service
VFW	Homer Vestal	1947		New group, 35 members
Randolph's, McMurray's and West Side produce or poultry		1937	1945	Break in, stolen razor (Tribune, July 16, 1940)
Hay's, Hilger's and Townsend's barber		1919	1937
Meadow's Restaurant		1907	1910	Sanborn Map
Newton's Barber Shop		1895
		1895		The narrow storefront was split in half early (Express, April 12, May 24, 25, 1895).
	Thomas Boyd	1894		Thomas Boyd acquired this property in May 1894 and construction started in early June.