The Des Moines Saddlery Company Building is a historic commercial building located at 309 Court Avenue in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. Built in 1881 by J. Rubelman of Muscatine, Iowa, the structure was designed to house both retail and manufacturing purposes. Rubelman chose the location due to the city's proximity to two rivers and the 13 railroads that served the area.
Rubelman's company produced saddles, harnesses, and leather works for 20 years. During that time, the business operated in a two-block area that contained four different saddlery firms. In the years since Rubelman's operation, the building has housed a shoe maker, a rubber company, a stove manufacturer, a glove company, the Krispy Kone Company, and the Kaplan Hat Company.
The building was constructed in four phases between c. 1878 and 1920. It is the most intact example of commercial Italianate architecture extant in Des Moines. During the Des Moines River flood of 1993, the building was flooded with 19 feet of water. It remained empty until the Court Avenue Restaurant & Brewing Company moved in with its equipment.
The Des Moines Saddlery Company Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. In 2016, the Republic of Kosovo selected the building to host a consulate office.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by No Other
Discuss this with the author and others
No comments yet. Be the first to start the conversation.