The work of Proudfoot & Bird in Des Moines
The records behind these stops attribute them to Proudfoot & Bird. They carry the buildings and not the life behind them, so this page keeps to what the listings themselves hold. Neoclassical is the style recorded on 4 of the stops.
13 stops, 2.2 miles end to end. The dated ones run from 1869 to 1921.
Distances are straight lines between the coordinates in the National Park Service Register data, so the walk on the street will be longer. Nobody has walked or checked this as a route, and a listing does not mean a place is open to visitors. Stops last changed Oct 16, 2026.
All walking tours in Des Moines → · Every listing in Des Moines →
Map
Coordinates come from the National Park Service National Register spatial data, or from Wikidata where the spatial data has no point. The solid line joins the stops in walking order and is not a street route. Listings with a restricted address in the Register are never mapped and never become stops. Data refreshed November 02, 2026.
Walking order
- 1Studebaker Corporation Branch Office Building1436-42 Locust St.Building · listed 2015start
- 2Apperson-Iowa Motor Car Company Building1420 Locust St.Building · built 1921 · listed 20160.1 mi from stop 1
- 3D.S. Chamberlain Building1312 Locust St.Building · listed 20070.1 mi from stop 2
- 4Masonic Temple of Des Moines1011 Locust St.Building · listed 19970.2 mi from stop 3
- 5Hubbell Building904 Walnut St.Building · listed 2004344 ft from stop 4
- 6Herring Motor Car Company Building110 W. 10th St.Building · built 1912 · listed 2004509 ft from stop 5
- 7Hotel Fort Des Moines10th and Walnut Sts.Building · listed 198265 ft from stop 6
- 8National Biscuit Company Building1001 Cherry St.Building · listed 2009360 ft from stop 7
- 9Polk County Courthouse6th and Mulberry Sts.Building · listed 19790.2 mi from stop 8
- 10Hawkeye Insurance Company Building209 Fourth St.Building · built 1869 · listed 19860.1 mi from stop 9
- 11Warfield, Pratt and Howell Company Warehouse100 West Court Ave.Building · listed 19850.2 mi from stop 10
- 12Liberty Building418 Sixth AveBuilding · listed 20100.4 mi from stop 11
- 13Hubbell Warehouse340 SW 5th StBuilding · listed 20100.5 mi from stop 12
2.2 straight-line miles over 12 legs.
Taking it along
- Download the route as GPXFor a handheld GPS or a phone app
- Open all 13 stops in Google MapsSet the mode to walking once it opens
- Open the first stop in Apple MapsThe Apple Maps web link carries one destination, so this is stop 1 only
Other walks in Des Moines
- Victorian houses in Des Moines13 stops · 1.4 milesVictorian is a broad label for the ornamented styles built during Queen Victoria's reign, from 1837 to 1901. The Des Moines examples on this route went up between 1888 and 1896.
- Neoclassical architecture in Des Moines10 stops · 1.7 milesNeoclassical buildings borrow the columns, pediments and symmetry of Greek and Roman temples. The Des Moines examples on this route went up between 1912 and 1916.
- Houses and mansions in Des Moines15 stops · 1.4 milesThe route links houses built between 1884 and 1886. Many are private homes and the stops are meant to be seen from the sidewalk.
Local history books for Des Moines
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Guidebooks to historic places and travel in Iowa
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.