Hotel Kirkwood

400 Walnut Street

Completed: 1930

H.L. Stevens Company, Chicago (Builder)

The 200 block of 4th Street was known as “Hotel Row” and also included the Hotel Ranolph, Elliot Hotel, Hawkeye Hotel, Hotel Antlers, Ogden Hotel, and Mungers European Hotel. Hotel row served visitors who arrived in Des Moines by train at the nearby Union Station (5th & Cherry) and the Rock Island Depot (4th and Vine).

A hotel has been at this location since the early 1850s.

Original building for the Kirkwood Hotel was a 5 story building. It was destroyed by fire on April 6, 1929. The new (current) building was constructed in 14 months for $800,000 ($10.8 million in 2012 $).

1930 building: 12 story hotel with 160 guest rooms.

Remodeled in 1953 and 1965 by Brooks Borg Skiles.

Listed on the NRHP in 2003.

In 2006, the building was converted into 54 apartments by InVision Architecture. The lobby was cleaned and restored to its 1930 form at that time.

The window boxes on the exterior at the street level are original to the building and used to be planted with ferns and vines.

Lobby and exterior detailing are Commercial Art Deco and include marble, onyx, bronze, and silver.

The mural above the main reception desk is by Edgar Miller and Edgar Britton of Chicago. It illustrates different modes of travel including elephants, jinrikisha (Japanese rickshaw), locomotive, airplane, stage coach, and automobile.

The painting on the south wall of the lobby depicts the original Kirkwood Hotel building that was destroyed by fire. The view of the painting is looking west down Walnut Street.

The crown at the top of the building used to be lit at night.