To those of you who mourned the loss of the grandest public space in Des Moines and miss it to this day, cheer up! The Main Library building on the river is in process of becoming the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates. With just a few more thousand left to raise toward their $29 million fundraising goal, the World Food Prize is moving ahead with plans to create a space in honor of Norman Borlaug (and if you don’t know who he is, let Penn Gillette tell you) and as a teaching facility for up and coming agricultural scientists. Most parts will be re-opened to the public and the grounds surrounding the building will be redesigned into a beautiful garden.
Last week, my friend Jim and I got permission from the World Food Prize folks to enter the building and photograph the WPA murals in the basement as well as the architectural features of the rest of the interior. (Jim’s photos will appear in Part 2.)
Continue reading ‘Des Moines on the Down Low: Old Main Library (Part 1: WPA Murals)’
My parents told me all about Riverview amusement park when I was little. Nestled on an island between a streetcar suburb and the Des Moines River on the northeast side, Riverview was the only place around to ride a roller coaster or a speed boat or a tiny train. Adventureland literally swallowed it up in the late 1970s, appropriating several of the rides, and ultimately closing the park to eliminate the competition. For those Des Moinians who grew up spending all their pocket money on ride tickets and skeeball, and those who had their prom, wedding reception, or sock hop at the Riviera Ballroom, no flashy suburban amusement park could ever take the place of the original family entertainment park.
Continue reading ‘Des Moines on the Down Low: Riverview Retro’
****UPDATED INFO AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST! SCROLL DOWN!!!****
*******FOR THE LOVE OF MIKE! SCROLL DOWN!!!********
If you’ve driven, walked, bussed, or biked around in the East Village, perhaps on your way from the main area of shops to Ban Thai or something, you’ve probably noticed a defunct service station at E. 2nd & Grand. The building was built in the Mission architectural style, once popular in the 1930s, and housed one of the first full service gas stations in the metro area. The East Village is about to lose this important landmark to a pay-per-month parking lot and time is running out to save this cool building!
Continue reading ‘***UPDATED*** Des Moines on the Down Low: Mission Impossible’
You heard it. I know you did. Everybody heard it. On January 20, our amazing new president reminded us all to stop feeling sorry for ourselves, pick up some tools, and start fixing shit. He led up to that moment by calling for a major day of service on Martin Luther King Jr.’s holiday. Now, I know that MLK Day has been designated a “day of service” since 1994, but how many times have you actually used your day off to do anything more than beat that really hard level of Mario Brothers? Or get yourself a really good deal on a couch at the furniture store’s MLK Day sale?
This year people took that call to service seriously and here in the 515, we busted out some primo community service for some folks who really needed the help.
Continue reading ‘Des Moines on the Down Low: MLK Day, not just for sleeping in anymore.’
Ever wondered what’s behind the door marked “staff only” or what’s on the roof of the police station?
I’m Kelli G and I’m going to take you there!
Look for my photo series, “Des Moines on the Down Low” here on WhitePoison.com to see behind the scenes of some iconic Des Moines locations.
I’m always taking suggestions for places to photograph in Des Moines, so if you have ideas, send them my way. I especially want to hear from you if you have access to some intriguing hidden place that’s usually off-limits to the public. Shoot me an email at kelli.griffis@gmail.com or leave me a comment here on the website.
