The Apperson Iowa Motor Car Company Building, also known as the Garage Building for Rawson Brothers, is a historic commercial structure located on Locust Street in Des Moines. Designed by the firm Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson and completed in 1921, the building was constructed during the period of the firm's most prolific work. It is significant for its association with the rise of the automobile industry in the city.
Architect Harry D. Rawson and his brothers owned the building from 1921 to 1938. The two-story structure is located on a midblock lot in what was the automobile sales, service, and manufacturing district on the western edge of the downtown area. From 1921 to 1951, auto dealerships and distributorships leased the building.
The first floor housed a showroom in the front with offices on a mezzanine. The back of the first floor and the second floor were used for assembling and servicing automobiles. This building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
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