The Methodist Deaconess Institute - Esther Hall on Pleasant Street

The Methodist Deaconess Institute - Esther Hall, also known as Hawthorn Hill Apartments, is a historic building in Des Moines, Iowa. Constructed in 1922 to house programs that trained Methodist women as social workers, missionaries, and deaconesses, the building contained dormitories, lecture, science and recreation rooms, and a chapel. It was known by various titles, including the Bible Training School, Women's Foreign Missionary Society; Women's Home Missionary Society-Bible Training School; Iowa National Bible Training School; Iowa National Esther Hall & Bidwell Deaconess Home; Hawthorn Hill; and Chestnut Hill.

The brick Colonial Revival structure was designed by the prominent Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot, Bird and Rawson, and built by Arthur Neumann and Sons. The 3½-story main block is flanked by two-story wings that form an - "H" - and sits over a raised basement. The main block features gabled ends and a two-story front porch with classical columns and a shed roof. A single-story addition from 1959 has been removed.

In 1925, the building's function expanded as a residence for young career women. The Bible training program was phased out during the Great Depression. The facility became co-ed in 1974 and closed in 1976, reopening in 1978 to house a multi-ministry human service agency. It ceased as a residential facility in 1995 and became a low- and moderate-income apartment building in 2008. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons