201 Fifth Street

Font Size: + -

Feedback Print

Evaluation:

This is a contributing Fifth Street building within the historic district. It is an Italianate style commercial building.

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		Italianate style
Prominent location	X		Corner location with side street extension
Original façade materials	X
Upper fenestration pattern	X
Sympathetic Storefront Infill	X
Brick corbelled parapet	X
Cornice/coping (not metal)	X

Physical Description:

This two-story brick block with its angled corner and entry is distinctive for being the oldest surviving brick building, the first brick building on the east side of Fifth Street as well as for having an elevated ground floor level. The plan measures 22 feet by 94 feet. The south facade is that of the brick veneered original while the west primary facade is a replacement likely borne of the bank race that took place on upper Fifth in 1919-20. Not to be outdone white enameled brick and corner pilasters were added here along with the south window arches and some triangular inserts below the parapet. It lost its name and date plate and gained a Classic Revival entry hood. The altered front including the angled wall were made to emulate other district parapet treatments with bands of recessed square panels and a row of diamonds formed from raised brick along the parapet front. This is an Italianate style design with a darker brown brick color. The west facade originally had twin single windows up and down with a left-hand entryway. The display window substitution likely dates to 1920. The south facade is nearly fully fenestrated but a mix of larger and shorter openings on the ground floor is not vertically aligned. The 1899 vault survives.

Documented Alterations:

The west facade was re-veneered with a polychrome brick in 1921 when white ceramic brick was used to highlight the pilasters as faux columns. Structural glass infills (present as of 1968) on four south storefront windows have been replaced with glassed sash. The south facade is painted white below the parapet base line. An exterior basement entry has been closed off as has south entrance. Permits note electrical work 1982, 1985 and what appears to have been exterior basement stairs and "hollow sidewalk" were infilled in 2014 at a cost of $10,000, Hildreth Construction.

Commercial History:

Business	Owner	Start	Stop	Notes of Interest

Finding Iowa		2015	2016	From 413 Maple, new November 2015
La Gourmet		2013	2016	From 8435 University Feb. 2013, to 136 Fifth
5^th Street Design Group	Curtis Brown	1986	2009	Formerly Brownsville Junction
Soothing Palms	Lana Fogue	1997
Valley Jct. Hair Salon		2006
Brownsville Junction Tonsorial Parlour		1970	1986
Don Wilson law firm		1965



West Des Moines State Bank		1938	1960	New bank name-new Grand Avenue location (Express, January 14, 1960)
		1950		417 Maple was set off as a separate leased storefront
Booster newspaper		1925
Hawkeye Telephone		1908	1914
Corner Bank Insurance		1943
The Valley Junction Commercial Club		1915	1917
Hawkeye Telephone		1908	1914
Seyfert's drug store			1897
Hawkeye Investment Company		1895		Officed here once Raaz became its agent and the Express departed (Express, February 1, 1895)
Upstairs dance hall		1894	1894	The dance hall fell prey to offices (Express, October 5, 1894).
Herman Raaz’s private bank		1894		The bank gained its first substantial brick vault (Express, August 13, 1897). A new vault followed in 1898-99 (Express, November 11, 1898; February 17, 24, 1899).
		1893		This building was started in late September 1893 and the upper floor was to have housed the Odd Fellows, but did not finally do so, but was a dance hall. The local newspaper was housed in the basement and Seyfert's drug store was also a first tenant. The six-week completion estimate was overrun and the brick veneer was being put on the next August (Express, September 29, October 27, December 15, 1893; April 13, July 27, August 10, 1894).