The City of Des Moines is seeking proposals to redevelop City Hall and the Argonne Armory after previous efforts fell through.
Why it matters: They are among the metro’s most iconic municipal office buildings, on prime downtown riverfront property.
- Their future uses — or vacancies — could influence the pace of surrounding developments.
Catch up quick: City staff will vacate the buildings over the coming months as the city consolidates its offices into the former Nationwide building at 1200 Locust St.
Driving the news: The city announced last week that a process to gather proposals for the Argonne Armory building had opened.
- The move followed the Des Moines Performing Arts’ yearlong review to use it as an education center.
- That idea fell through because of significant construction needs and long-term operating costs, DMPA spokesperson Erika Harper tells Axios.
Flashback: The city’s first attempt to gather redevelopment proposals for City Hall yielded no results…