A demolition request for a home listed on the National Register of Historic Places was approved by the Des Moines City Council this week.
Why it matters: Historic home restorations are credited for transforming neighborhoods like Sherman Hill into what is now among DSM’s priciest real estate .
- But this house has been designated a public nuisance since 2018.
Flashback: The 124-year-old house was built for the family of Edward Baker Evans — an attorney previously appointed by President Grover Cleveland as Registrar of the Government Land Office of Iowa.
- Evans also worked as the first secretary of Drake University’s law school, later becoming its second dean, and was one of the founders of Iowa Methodist Hospital.
State of play: Former owner Calvin Sale planned to restore the home and possibly turn it into a bed and breakfast, according to his 2002 application to the National Register .
Yes, but: Sale made minimal progress and eventually stopped working on the home, according to information provided to city council last week.