Neoclassical architecture in Des Moines
Neoclassical buildings borrow the columns, pediments and symmetry of Greek and Roman temples. In the United States the label covers a long wave of public and institutional building from the 1890s into the 1930s.
The stops that carry a construction date run from 1912 to 1916. 10 stops, 1.7 miles end to end.
Distances are straight lines between the coordinates in the National Park Service Register data, so the walk on the street will be longer. Nobody has walked or checked this as a route, and a listing does not mean a place is open to visitors. Stops last changed Sep 18, 2026.
All walking tours in Des Moines → · Every listing in Des Moines →
Map
Coordinates come from the National Park Service National Register spatial data, or from Wikidata where the spatial data has no point. The solid line joins the stops in walking order and is not a street route. Listings with a restricted address in the Register are never mapped and never become stops. Data refreshed November 02, 2026.
Walking order
- 1Earle & LeBosquet Block407-409 Court Ave.Building · listed 2009start
- 2Hotel Randolph200-204 4th St.Building · listed 200993 ft from stop 1
- 3Hubbell Warehouse340 SW 5th StBuilding · listed 20100.3 mi from stop 2
- 4Standard Glass and Paint Company Building112 10th St.Building · listed 20040.4 mi from stop 3
- 5National Biscuit Company Building1001 Cherry St.Building · listed 2009219 ft from stop 4
- 6Herring Motor Car Company Building110 W. 10th St.Building · built 1912 · listed 2004295 ft from stop 5
- 7Clemens Automobile Company Building200 10th St.Building · built 1916 · listed 2009381 ft from stop 6
- 8First Methodist Episcopal Church10th and Pleasant Sts.Building · listed 19840.3 mi from stop 7
- 9Scottish Rite Consistory Building6th Ave. and Park St.Building · listed 19830.3 mi from stop 8
- 10Iowa Commission for the Blind Building524 4th St.Building · listed 20100.1 mi from stop 9
1.7 straight-line miles over 9 legs.
Taking it along
- Download the route as GPXFor a handheld GPS or a phone app
- Open all 10 stops in Google MapsSet the mode to walking once it opens
- Open the first stop in Apple MapsThe Apple Maps web link carries one destination, so this is stop 1 only
Other walks in Des Moines
- The work of Proudfoot & Bird in Des Moines13 stops · 2.2 milesThe record behind every stop attributes it to Proudfoot & Bird. The dated ones went up between 1869 and 1921, and Neoclassical is the label that recurs most across them.
- Victorian houses in Des Moines13 stops · 1.4 milesVictorian is a broad label for the ornamented styles built during Queen Victoria's reign, from 1837 to 1901. The Des Moines examples on this route went up between 1888 and 1896.
- Houses and mansions in Des Moines15 stops · 1.4 milesThe route links houses built between 1884 and 1886. Many are private homes and the stops are meant to be seen from the sidewalk.
Local history books for Des Moines
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Guidebooks to historic places and travel in Iowa
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.