(Des Moines, IA) — A downtown Des Moines bar will re-open this week after 120 years.
The site on Fourth Street used to be the original Fong’s Pizza location, and after Fong’s moved to its new location on E Court Avenue, the owners of the site decided to convert the space into a new venue. As workers were doing renovations, they discovered “The Empire” spelled out on the space’s original tile flooring. This led to some research on the history of the site, and local architect Ryan Ellsworth found that the space has a long, rich history. In 1905, bar owner Matt Kane moved his bar from the Kirkwood Hotel across the street to the Elliot Hotel, now the Elliot Apartments. The Empire opened in April of 1905, though the bar was short-lived, closing in July of 1906 for what Kane thought would be the last time.
Since the original Empire bar closed, the site has housed several establishments over the subsequent decades, including twenty years as the Elliot Buffet from 1906-1926, The Dixie Barbecue for another two decades from 1929-1949, and King Ying Low later in 1949, lasting almost 50 years. Fong’s Pizza opened in the space in 2008 and stayed there until moving to Des Moines’ East Village earlier this year…