Nomination Form For The Argonne On National Register of Historic Places

NPS Form 10-900 OMB No.
1024-0018
(Rev. 10-90)
United States Department of the Interior

National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places

Nomination Form
This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in How to Complete the National
Register of Historic Places Registration Form (National Register Bulletin 16A). Complete each item by marking "x" in the appropriate box or by entering the
information requested. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural
classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. Place additional entries and narrative
items on continuation sheets (NPS Form 10-900a). Use a typewriter, word processor, or computer, to complete all items.
1. Name of Property
historic name The Argonne Building
other names/site number
2. Location
th
street & number 1723 Grand Ave. (1723-1733 Grand Ave., plus 515 18 St.) not for publication N/A
city or town Des Moines vicinity N/A
state Iowa code IA county Polk code 153 zip code 50309
3. State/Federal Agency Certification
As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1986, as amended, I hereby certify that this x_ nomination ____
request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and
meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property __x__ meets ____ does not meet the
National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant ___ nationally __ _ statewide _ x _ locally. ( ___ See
continuation sheet for additional comments.)
Signature of certifying official Date
State Historical Society of Iowa

State or Federal agency and bureau
In my opinion, the property ____ meets ____ does not meet the National Register criteria. (____See continuation sheet for additional comments.)
Signature of commenting or other official Date
_
State or Federal agency and bureau
4. National Park Service Certification
I, hereby certify that this property is: Signature of Keeper Date of Action
entered in the National Register

See continuation sheet.
determined eligible for the National Register
determined not eligible for the National Register
removed from the National Register
other (explain):
The Argonne Building Polk, Iowa
Name of Property County and State
5. Classification
Ownership of Property Category of Property Number of Resources within Property

(Check as many boxes as apply) (Check only one box) (do not include previously listed resources in count)
private building(s) Contributing Noncontributing

public-local district
public-State site 1 0 buildings
public-Federal structure
object 0 0 sites
0 0 structures
0 0 objects
1 0 Total
Name of related multiple property listing Number of contributing resources previously listed
(Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing.) in the National Register
None None
6. Function or Use
Historic Functions Current Functions

(Enter categories from instructions) (Enter categories from instructions)
DOMESTIC: multifamily VACANT/NOT IN USE

DOMESTIC: hotel COMMERCE/TRADE: specialty store
COMMERCE/TRADE: business DOMESTIC: multifamily
COMMERCE/TRADE: business
7. Description
Architectural Classification Materials

(Enter categories from instructions) (Enter categories from instructions)
LATE 19th & 20th CENTURY REVIVALS foundation CONCRETE

walls BRICK
STONE
roof ASPHALT
other WOOD
GLASS
Narrative Description
(Describe the historic and current condition of the property on one or more continuation sheets.)
8. Statement of Significance
Applicable National Register Criteria Areas of Significance
(Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property (Enter categories from instructions)
for National Register listing)
COMMERCE
A Property is associated with events that
have made a significant contribution to
the broad patterns of our history.
B Property is associated with the lives of

persons significant in our past.
C Property embodies the distinctive characteristics

Period of Significance
of a type, period, or method of construction or
represents the work of a master, or possesses 1919-1941
high artistic values, or represents a significant
and distinguishable entity whose components
lack individual distinction.
D Property has yielded, or is likely to yield Significant Dates

information important in prehistory or history.
1919
Criteria Considerations
(Mark "X" in all the boxes that apply.)
Property is:
Significant Person
(Complete if Criterion B is marked above)
A owned by a religious institution or used for
religious purposes. N/A
B removed from its original location. Cultural Affiliation
C a birthplace or a grave.
D a cemetery.
E a reconstructed building, object, or structure.

Architect/Builder
F a commemorative property.
G less than 50 years of age or achieved

significance within the past 50 years.
Narrative Statement of Significance

(Explain the significance of the property on one or more continuation sheets.)
9. Major Bibliographical References

Bibliography
(Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form on one or more continuation sheets.)
Previous documentation on file (NPS) Primary Location of Additional Data:

preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) State Historic Preservation Office
has been requested. Other State agency
previously listed in the National Register Federal agency
previously determined eligible by the National Register Local government
designated a National Historic Landmark University
recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey Other
# ___________________________________ Name of repository:
recorded by Historic American Engineering Record
# ___________________________________
10. Geographical Data
Acreage of Property less than 1 acre

Latitude/Longitude Coordinates (decimal degrees)
(Enter coordinates to 6 decimal places; place additional references on a continuation sheet)
Datum if other than WGS84: __________
Latitude Longitude Latitude Longitude

1 xx -xx 3
2 4
Verbal Boundary Description
(Describe the boundaries of the property on a continuation sheet.)
Boundary Justification
(Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet.)
11. Form Prepared By
name/title Jennifer Irsfeld James, MAHP date November 2017
organization Jennifer James Communications phone 515-250-7196
street & number 4209 Kingman Blvd. email jenjames123@gmail.com
city or town Des Moines state IA zip code 50311
Additional Documentation
Submit the following items with the completed form:
Continuation Sheets
Maps: A USGS map (7.5 or 15 minute series) or similar indicating the property's location.
A sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources.
Photographs: Representative black-and white-photographs of the property.
Additional items
(Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items)
Property Owner
(Complete this item at the request of the SHPO or FPO.)
name Joseph Cordaro, Jarcor, LLC
street & number 950 Office Park Road, Suite 300 telephone 515-520-8805
city or town West Des Moines state IA zip code 50312
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties
for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in
accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.).
Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18.1 hours per response including the time for reviewing
instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this
form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National Park Service, P.0. Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of Management
and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Project (1024-0018), Washington, DC 20503.
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Section 7 Page 1 Property name The Argonne Building
County and State Polk, IA
7. Narrative Description
Summary
Located in Polk County, Iowa, in the capital city of Des Moines, the 4-story Argonne Building (1723-1733
Grand Avenue) is located on the western edge of the main downtown commercial business district.
Occupying the prominent corner of Grand Avenue and 18th Street, this 1919 building marks the western
termination of the early-twentieth-century downtown commercial core’s automobile sales, service, and
manufacturing district (“Auto Row”). This is a rare-surviving masonry Auto Row building, and an unusual
variant, being an interwar multi-tenant building with upper apartments constructed in response to the
massive Ford Model T assembly plant (extant, 1800 Grand Avenue, as designed by the noted industrial
architect Albert Kahn with 1957 addition) being completed across the street at the time of its construction.
As a multi-use building for auto-related businesses, The Argonne opened with five tenant spaces all filled by
auto-related businesses, plus the apartments, which were favored by Auto Row workers; as such, the
building was a less-common Auto Row type (multiple-tenant) unusual locally for its wide façade, which
spans nearly 130 feet. The building remains an important rare-surviving building type (interwar multiple-
tenant auto building) and one of two Des Moines Auto Row buildings remaining on Grand Avenue, which
was once home to several blocks of Auto Row buildings.
The Argonne as a two-part commercial block includes an L-shaped apartment mass with full basement that
adjoins a 1-story east “garage” wing with large partial basement that is angled to match the corresponding
bend in Grand Avenue, one of the two main east-west arterial roads into downtown. Red brick piers set atop
stone bases rise up to subdivide the nearly 130-foot Grand Avenue main façade into what were built as five
auto-related commercial spaces plus a central entrance into the apartment lobby; the 18th Street secondary
façade has an additional two storefronts, one of which occupies a former garage bay opening. The rear of
the building is built to an alley, onto which the two rear auto garage bays open, plus rear circulation to the
apartments. Original brick with stone trim remains, as do most original window and garage bay openings,
with many original double-hung wood windows on upper levels and steel windows in the rear remaining.
The interior on the first floor is divided into two zones differentiating the formal first-floor front showrooms
(with original hexagonal tile floors and finished walls and ceilings) from the utilitarian rear workspaces (with
concrete floors and exposed masonry) used for servicing automobiles and parts storage. Many original
finishes including wood trim, stair railings, doors, and floors exist in the apartment lobby, stairs, corridors,
and 41 upper-level units tailored for employees of the Ford auto plant across the street. Additional historic
fabric appears to exist behind some late-20th-century cover-up materials such as wall paneling, dropped
ceilings, carpet, and linoleum-type floor tile. In sum, this rare surviving Auto Row building retains a high
degree of architectural integrity throughout and clearly communicates its historic associations with the early
automobile industry.
Setting
The Argonne Building is located on the built-up western edge of the downtown Des Moines commercial
business district in what has been known as “Auto Row” or “Motor Row,” a commercial and light industrial
district associated with cars, trucks, and associated businesses. The street grid that predominates in the
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remainder of the downtown central business district breaks up, with Grand Avenue bending to ascend a hill
that starts at 18th street, which Ts at Grand; south of Grand, Fleur Drive (formerly a job of 18th Street) curves
and Ts at Grand in front of The Argonne.
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Figure 1: Location map showing Des Moines with arrow pointing to The Argonne Building, located on the far
western edge of the west side commercial business district. (Source: Google maps, 2017)
Grand Avenue developed as one of the few east-west connectors through the city, with the road extending
beyond the west city limits and terminating at the State Fair Grounds near the east city limits; at the western
end Grand Avenue was an exclusive residential district but by the late 1910s increased auto traffic was
contributing to commercial redevelopment. Starting in the 1910s, the burgeoning auto industry pushed west
from the existing retail core into the neighboring “West End” residential district, replacing late-nineteenth-
century frame houses with mostly one- and two-story masonry showrooms, garages, accessories shops,
and related buildings, plus two large printing plants. Auto construction on the 1700 block of Grand Avenue
began circa 1910 with construction of a 1-story brick auto garage (1719-1721 Grand Avenue; a remnant
wall borders the Argonne property) by the landowner of the block, Lowell Chamberlain. Chamberlain,
secretary of a large eponymous patent medicine company who lived a few blocks west on Grand Avenue,
developed additional Auto Row garages and other commercial buildings at the southeast end of his block.
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The 18th Street bridge, completed by 1918, connected Grand Avenue and Locust Street over the Raccoon
River with SW 21st Street (later Fleur Drive). (Des Moines Register, “Sketch of Traffic Improvements on
Grand Avenue,” November 10, 1918: 8X) In 1916, Chamberlain leased the southwestern portion his block
to Ford dealer E.L. Lloyd, land that would become Lot 1 in the 1920 Lowell Chamberlain’s Addition plat. The
lease was not filed until February 1919, as construction on the Ford plant was wrapping up. Lloyd filed a
building permit in March 1919, and construction commenced on The Argonne Building (apartments and
auto showrooms), built up against the west wall of Chamberlain’s pre-existing garage. Across the street on
the south side of the 1700 block was a former mansion converted into the St. Catherine’s home for single
working women that was later redeveloped and included a gas station. By 1919, the auto district extended
from Grand Avenue to Mulberry Street (three blocks south), and from Eighteenth Street (west, anchored by
the Ford auto plant) to Ninth Street (east).
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Figure 2: Location map showing Des Moines with single arrow pointing to The Argonne Building, located on
the far western edge of the west side commercial business district; double arrow points to Grand Avenue.
(Source: Google Earth maps, 2017)
In 1953, the city designated Grand Avenue a west-flowing one-way four-lane arterial through downtown,
ending at 18th Street. Grand today remains a high-profile street and may be converted back to two-way
traffic. The Auto Row surroundings have changed overtime, with auto-related uses dissipating in the post-
war era as businesses relocated in response to suburbanization and the auto industry realigned around the
Big Three auto companies (Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler); other light industrial uses moved into old
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Auto Row buildings. These changes have led over time to the redevelopment of several blocks of Des
Moines’ Auto Row and removal of related buildings, including the remainder of Lowell Chamberlain’s
Addition which is now dedicated to mixed-use commercial (it had been converted/expanded into a car lot
and dairy plant in the post-war era). This makes the rare surviving Auto Row buildings, particularly those
with high integrity, all the more locally significant.
Relative to the Argonne, it remains in its original location as do the three large manufacturing plants across
the street (located along the railroad and river): the aforementioned 6-story Ford plant (5 stories fronting
Grand), the 1912 Successful Farming/Meredith Corporation 4-story red brick printing plant designed by
Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson with midcentury additions (1716 Locust Street; potentially historic), and 1915
Iowa Homestead/Wallace–Homestead building 7-story white terra-cotta printing plant also designed by
Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson (1912 Grand Avenue, directly west of the Ford plant; potentially historic). (Long
1988) In addition, two rare-surviving Grand Avenue mansions and an early insurance headquarters
bookend the double-block and demonstrate the type of “grand” houses on Grand Avenue that were
converted to institutional or commercial uses: 1881 Queen Anne-style Herndon Hall (2000 Grand Avenue;
NRHP 1977), circa-1895 Finkbine Mansion (1915 Grand Avenue; potentially historic), and circa-1928 stone
Great Western Life Insurance Co. Building (2015 Grand Avenue; potentially historic).
Site
The building occupies Lot 1 Lowell Chamberlain’s Addition, on the northeast corner of the 1700 block of
Grand Avenue at 18th Street. This relatively flat parcel is polygonal, measuring nearly 130 feet wide (east-
west frontage along Grand Avenue) by 132 feet deep (north-south side frontage along 18th Street); the rear
of the parcel and building tapers to about 95 feet wide (east-west along rear alley). As with many other Auto
Row commercial buildings, the Argonne Building’s footprint occupies the entire lot, with no setbacks.
The building is located at the southwest corner of the 1700 block of Grand Avenue; the remainder of the
block had been dedicated to a dairy plant and was redeveloped a decade ago into mixed-use
commercial/residential buildings. There is no setback; the building is built to the property lines and is
freestanding. The south side is the main and primary facade, and abuts the public concrete sidewalk next to
Grand Avenue, which bends at about the entrance to the apartments, 1729 Grand Avenue. The facade
treatment continues on the secondary façade, the west elevation on 18th Street, which also abuts a public
concrete sidewalk. On the east elevation, the southern ell of the 4-story apartment building mass’s east
elevation at Grand Avenue also continues to façade treatment, then steps back to the common brick
treatment also seen on the rear alley side. The east elevation of the one-story wing is an exposed tile wall,
formerly a shared sidewall with non-extant Auto Row building that was remodeled extensively before being
removed in circa 2005; a fence spans a gap between the Argonne building’s east wall and the adjoining infill
building’s west wall. The rear north elevation abuts a paved alley, which runs east-west between Grand and
Ingersoll avenues. Historically, it appears that automobiles entered the auto showrooms via two rear garage
bay entrances accessible from the rear alley and one 18th Street side garage bay entrance (now noted as
515B 18th Street).
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Figure 4: Site map showing footprint of building outlined in yellow, roads marked, and alley in the rear north.
(Polk County Assessor, 2017)
Building
Structure
The standalone building footprint measures 127 feet on the south (east-west) by 132 feet (north-south) on
the west by 95 feet on the north by 130 feet on the east, covering the entire polygonal building lot. The
irregularly shaped lot takes it shape at least in part due to an angled bend in the Grand Avenue roadbed
that occurs at the midpoint of Lot 1, Lowell Chamberlain’s Addition. (Polk County Assessor’s Office) The
Argonne building structure consists of brick over masonry walls, over a clay tile foundation, interior masonry
walls over presumed concrete footings beneath the main basement’s concrete floor, structural steel that is
exposed in the rear of the east wing garage, and concrete/tile floors on the first story and wood flooring on
the upper stories. Under the 4-story apartment mass is a full basement; under the 1-story east wing is a
partial basement with wood columns. The original front and rear stairs to the apartments along with
abandoned front and rear elevator shafts remain. Stairs to the full basement are located at the rear and
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inside 515A 18th Street storefront; stairs to the east wing partial basement are located at the rear. It should
be noted that additional original structure such as steel beams may exist above dropped ceilings or within
partition walls. Also, newly installed wood structural support has been built out of lumber and installed within
1733 Grand storefront, rear 515B 18th Street commercial area, and the basement; this wood shoring would
be removed as part of a future rehabilitation.
Exterior
As designed by an unknown architectural firm, the building is of a restrained Revival Style. Here, the style is
embodied by elements of symmetry such as pairings of windows (although the building is not symmetrical),
apartment main entrance with sidelights and fanlight, simple stone cornice below the parapet walls, and
soldiered brick courses in a contrasting dark purple masonry especially visible enframing the large square
window openings (display windows topped by transoms).
The main exterior building materials are wire-brushed textured variegated red brick on the primary and
wraparound facades, with smoother variegated common red brick employed on the remainder of the walls.
The facades incorporate limestone for sills and cornices, brick pier bases and accents, and the name stone
incised “The Argonne.” Wood was used on the primary facade on the first floor for window frames and entry
doors, but most was replaced at an unknown date by circa-1970s storefront glazing. Upper story windows
are largely what appear to be original double-hung windows, with eight-over-one larger windows and four-
over-one smaller windows mostly seen on the south and west facades with a patchwork of (replacement)
one-over-one windows that may relate to damage that occurred in one of the fires. The upper level rear
north and east side elevations have mostly one-over-one windows. The rear of the one-story garage wing
has large original steel-sash windows covered by plywood.
The main (apartment) roof is built-up, and features two elevator penthouses, one tall chimney at the
northeast corner, two large skylights illuminating the top floor’s main corridor. The east wing roof also is
built-up and has one open skylight and an older rooftop billboard.
South elevation: This main and primary facade features on the first story six bays created by six red brick
wall piers with stone bases and stone inset squares. The tall storefront windows with transoms (circa 1970s
metal-framed units that replaced original wood-framed display/transom windows) extend from just above the
sidewalk level up to contrasting dark purple brick soldier headers; the oversize display windows are typical
of Auto Row showrooms and allowed for showcasing vehicles from wheel up. The central arched entrance
to the apartment vestibule is trimmed in stone and features a wood-framed fanlight and side lites. A
contrasting dark purple brick soldiered belt course visually separates the upper stories, which each have
eight window bays; each bay contains either a large eight-over-one wood-framed window or small four-over-
one window—with a patchwork of what are presumed to be replacement one-over-one windows. The upper
story wall continues to the parapet, marked by two courses of stone trim and topped by stone coping; on the
one-story east wing stone coping tops the parapet wall.
West elevation: This secondary façade overlooks 18th Street. The façade treatment continues with the brick
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soldier belt course dividing first story from upper stories. Individual fenestrations are defined by the same
soldiered header course; window sills are stone. On the first story there are two circa-1970s storefront
windows that match those on the south elevation, defined by the brick piers at the southwest corner, plus a
pedestrian doorway. Beyond, at 515A 18th Street is a circa-1922 storefront with integrated door leading to a
commercial space and 515B 18th Street storefront system infilling what appears to be an original garage bay
opening. There are also four other one-over-one windows that appear to be replacement sashes. Above the
soldiered belt course on the upper stories are 18 bays containing either a large eight-over-one wood-framed
window or small four-over-one window.
North elevation: This rear elevation faces the rear alley; two garage bays provided vehicle access into front
showrooms, and three pedestrian doorways provide further circulation. The façade treatment wraps the
northwest corner, beyond which the brick quoins to common brick; windowsills are brick. On the first story is
a garage bay with metal wheel guards, the opening now infilled with recessed brick and containing a door
and a window, plus the door leading to the rear elevator and apartment stair, and a small high window
illuminating the main basement stair. Each upper story has six bays, with small and large one-over-one
windows flanking a central rear egress door that connects to a fire escape. The one-story wing has a
doorway to the partial basement and two sets of steel-framed windows flanking the centered garage door
opening. The gutter system runs here into drain pipes inset into the ground.
East elevations: The east elevation of the 4-story apartment mass adopts the façade treatment at the south
ell and contains two one-over-one windows with stone sills and stone cornice treatment. The recessed main
east wall is of common brick, with brick sills for each of the 14 bays with small and large one-over-one
windows on each level. The one-story east wing’s east wall is a tile wall with pilasters and a remnant of the
non-extant adjoining building’s brick façade (painted white).
Interior
The interior configuration and original building materials/finishes of the Argonne Building clearly reflect its
historic commercial use on the first floor and residential use on the upper stories. Structurally, the interior in
both formal and utilitarian areas is divided into three north-south bays created by the location of the walls
supporting the building. The original floor plan is largely intact, as sketched on the 1920 Sanborn fire
insurance map (showing five commercial areas plus apartment entry across the Grand Avenue façade) and
in comparison with 1920 city directory apartment listings. Overall, the space is divided into the original
formal front showroom with commercial/office build out in the rear areas that were likely exposed rear auto
service/storage areas.
First-floor auto-related retail/service tenant spaces: The formal front showrooms contain original plaster
walls and ceilings and original hexagonal ceramic tile floors featuring what may be the same decorative
pattern throughout; some cover-up materials exist such as in 1731 Grand Avenue storefront, and some
(with some cover-up materials and some modifications made with partition walls or otherwise). Original
exposed building materials, structural members, and finishes remain intact in the industrial-finish rear auto
service garage of the one-story wing and may also exist in the rear of the main apartment building. The two
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commercial spaces at 515A and 515B 18th Street may date to the 1920s and 1930s, changes made by the
original developer of the building, hotelier E.L. Lloyd. Further research is recommended to explore finishes
and materials particularly beneath cover-up materials.
Apartment lobby and rear stair (first floor) and units (second, third, and fourth floors): The main entrance to
the apartments is through the arched central door to the front vestibule clad in marble wainscot. The marble
wainscot continues into the narrow stair lobby that features a wide oak banister staircase; a small office
opens at the rear of the front lobby. The front stairs and narrow enclosed rear staircase, each with flanking
(abandoned) elevator shafts, anchor the two ends of the L-shaped double-loaded corridors on the second
through fourth floors. The floors are duplicative in their layout, with 14 units per floor as built (13 efficiencies
and 1 one-bedroom unit; plus units 310 and 312 have been combined). Two skylights light the fourth-floor
corridor. The corridors and apartments retain original wood flooring beneath carpet, wood trim, wood doors,
and some hexagonal tiled bathroom floors. Kitchenettes and some bathrooms have been updated through
the years.
Basement space: Access to the basement of the main building is through a narrow rear wooden stair and a
central stair located within 515A 18th Street commercial area. The basement has a finished southern
commercial area and a rear boiler room and storage rooms with exposed masonry walls and concrete floor.
Further inspection is recommended to examine whether the elevators serviced the basement originally and
to understand the finishes in the south commercial area. The boiler room serves both the main building and
east wing with hot-water heat. Access to the partial basement in the east wing is through an exterior door
accessible from the rear alley, leading to a wide wooden staircase stepping down to concrete floor, exposed
masonry walls, and wood columns.
Alterations
Alterations have been minimal. Review of building permits cross-referenced with newspaper research and
the abstract of title shows the following alterations, the majority occurring during the period of significance
as the building changed to accommodate new retail tenants and minimal changes to the kitchenettes and
baths in the apartment units. Note that building permits no longer exist, only references from the
handwritten log book:
• Permit issued June 14, 1922, #21799, for 515 18th Street for $20,000 project to E.L. Lloyd. It is possible
that this permit relates to construction of a 2-story auto garage on the adjoining Lot 7 (nonextant; sometimes
addressed as 519 18th St.). E.L. Lloyd leased both Lots 1 and 7. It’s also possible the permit was for work
on The Argonne, such as creating a ballroom or otherwise upgrading the property. In 1923, the Argonne
Apartments ballroom is advertised, with address 1729 Grand Avenue as address. Unknown if ballroom
existed in rear of first story or in basement. Events included dances and a chess tournament. The 1950
Sanborn map shows 515 18th Street as a commercial space within The Argonne’s rear northwest corner.
• Fires occurred at least three times: 1927 (some floors and walls removed during fire fighting), 1941
Thanksgiving (four rear units damaged by fire in incinerator), and 1999 (damage done to one unit). Permit
issued for December 1, 1941, #20780, for $500 commercial alteration to 1729 Grand Ave., Lot 1 Lowell
Chamberlain’s Addition, to Gregory Brunk, then leaseholder of The Argonne. Presumed to be fire repair but
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also possibly standpipe installed. Fires may also have led to the patchwork of one-over-one double-hung
windows that are presumed to be replacements; most windows on the south and west elevations are multi-
lite upper sashes over single pane lower sash.
• In 1933, Lloyd opened the Argonne Garden café in 511 18th Street, which may have resulted in some
alterations in the 515A space.
• In 1936, the new leaseholder for the hotel erected a billboard on the property, triggering city review.
• Permit issued for September 24, 1951, #40934, for $300 residential alteration, to 1731 Grand Ave., Lot 1
(1-7?) Lowell Chamberlain’s Addition, to the Argonne Apartments Corporation. Unknown work.
• Permit issued for October 9, 1973, #10999, for $2,000 commercial alteration to 1723 Grand, Lot 1 Lowell
Chamberlain’s Addition to Joseph Chamberlain Trust. Possibly storefront window replacement.
• The front and rear electric elevators were dismantled within the last decade or two; plywood covers the
door openings, except in the rear first floor, where original bifold elevator doors remain.
Integrity
The Argonne Building retains integrity for National Register listing as a rare surviving Auto Row building and
as an automobile-related commercial building built during the interwar years and used primarily for auto
uses from 1921 through 1941.
Given that this building is of special importance as an unusual multi-tenant building with significant housing
and that the window openings many with original windows remain and the rest of the building retains
significant integrity—the loss of the storefront windows is acceptable. Comparison with 1919 photographs
as well as late 1930s and 1950s photographs show that the building has changed little on the exterior; tour
of the interior shows the same.
Seven Aspects of Integrity:

The Argonne Building retains excellent integrity in one aspect, very good historic integrity in five aspects,
and good historic integrity in one aspect.
Location: With regard to location, its integrity is excellent. The Argonne Building remains at its original site,
with the original orientation of public sidewalk in front of the north facade and public alley at the rear south
elevation.
Design: The design continues to reflect the building’s historic dual function of high-end auto
sales/distribution and auto assembly/service on the first story, with upper level apartment units tailored for
employees of the Ford auto plant, located across the street. The design also reflects early-20th-century
emerging specialized building technology and architecture tailored to auto sales and service showrooms. As
is common for commercial buildings, the storefront window system has been replaced on the first floor;
however, the tall window openings remain and portions of window framing and the transoms remain. The
main elevation still retains the original brickwork with original façade detailing including stone accents, stone
cornice, brick piers, and decorative entrance into the apartment vestibule. The interior showrooms retain
their original soaring volume, finished ceilings, plaster walls, and tile floor—and the overall effect remains
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one of grandeur. The rear spaces retain their exposed-construction industrial materials and finishes,
including structural steel trusses in the east wing garage that allowed the building to carry live and dead
loads of automobiles being serviced and displayed. The rear first-floor workroom retains nearly all original
utilitarian finishes and features, including the extra-tall exposed ceiling, masonry walls, original steel-frame
windows, and concrete floor. The marble-clad apartment vestibule, corridors, and units retain original
finishes and wood trim, doors, and floors. The building is well preserved, with no additions or demolitions. In
these regards, its integrity is very good.
Setting: The overall integrity of setting is good. The Argonne Building is located on the north side of the
1700 Grand Avenue block across the street from the Albert Kahn-designed 1919 Ford Auto Plant, as well as
near two large 1910s printing plants that provided further potential apartment dwellers. The loss of auto-
related buildings directly to the east and elsewhere within the former Auto Row district elevates the
importance of the rare surviving buildings that remain. In addition, the location on Grand Avenue retains its
relationship as a main thoroughfare out of the downtown commercial core.
Materials: The integrity of materials is very good to good. The Argonne Building exterior remains relatively
unchanged from when it was originally constructed and the condition of materials remains excellent to good.
The brick that predominates is in good to very good condition. The limestone that accents the main facade
is in good to very good condition. Original wood windows on upper stories are in place. Original steel-sash
windows have been retained at the rear. And the historic connection to the alley remains. The publicly
viewable area of the building, mainly the apartment lobby and the front showrooms with their impressive tall
ceilings retain key original building materials. In the rear industrial zones, the exposed truss structure in the
one-story wing openly displays the raw building components including the use of structural steel. Overall,
the building has seen limited changes since opening in 1919.
Workmanship: The integrity of workmanship is very good. The quality brick and stonework has withstood
time. Inside, the showrooms express workmanship with the neatly laid ceramic tile floors including
decorative border, plaster walls, ornate cornice treatment and boxed ceiling beams, which remain in
excellent condition. In the rear and second-story industrial areas, the original well-constructed structural
supports and structural steel exposed on the ceilings, neatly laid masonry walls, and tightly laid wood
flooring on upper floors along with other woodwork clearly express the engineering technologies of the time.
Feeling: The integrity of feeling is very good. The front and secondary facades and the first-floor interior
readily convey the Argonne Building’s historic character as home to stylish 1919 automobile showrooms.
The formal front of house contrasts with the other industrial-finished exterior elevations, reflecting the rear
service station and assembly/work areas. The upper apartments also reflect their 1919 construction and
design.
Association: The integrity of association is very good. The building retains its association as an early-20th-
century auto-related commercial building through its large storefront window openings, voluminous formal
showroom, and industrial-finished rear work areas. The efficiency apartments on the upper levels retain
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their layouts and quality finishes. The building retains its association as part of the western terminus of the
local Auto Row through its location across the street from the Ford plant and two large printing plants, at
Grand Avenue and 18th Street.
Future Plans
A new potential owner, Cutler Development, LLC, has an option to purchase the property for the purpose of
rehabilitating the building according to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation into a
small hotel with first-floor retail such as a restaurant and other amenities. The potential new owner would
apply for state and federal historic tax credits. The project would retain character-defining features such as
elements of the Auto Row showrooms on the first floor and the original apartment floor plans, as well as
fixtures and finishes.
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8. Narrative Statement of Significance
Summary Statement of Significance and Period of Significance
The Argonne Building, 1723 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa, is locally significant under Criterion C-
Architecture and Criterion A – Commerce, being associated with events that have made a significant
contribution to the broad patterns of our history: the rise of the automobile industry in Des Moines and the
architectural response to commercial tenants, as well as providing workforce housing targeted toward the
Ford auto plant directly across the street. The building is a rare-surviving example of an interwar Auto Row
multiple-use building, built to house multiple tenants in 1919. The first commercial tenants were all auto-
related businesses; apartment tenants including Auto Row workers..
The Period of Significance for the Apperson-Iowa Motor Car Company Building is 1919 through 1941,
representing the year the building was constructed and the first auto-related dealerships/distributorships
leased storefronts through 1941, being the end of the interwar era and the last full year that the Ford auto
plan operated across the street. The significant date also falls within the time period the original owner, Ford
auto dealer and hotelier E.L. Lloyd built and operated the building and lived in one of the apartments (1919-
1934) before his untimely death at age 59.
Criterion A: The Argonne Building derives local significance for its association with Commerce due to its
construction as an early-20th-century urban auto-related multi-tenant building that included workforce
apartments on the upper levels. The initial five auto-related tenants included dealership/ distributorships
who used the rear “garage” space, a specialized variation of commercial architecture tailored to attract
customers (retail and wholesale) and complete assembly and then service automobiles. It is an example of
a once-common property type associated with downtown Des Moines automobile-related commerce prior to
World War II. As a rare surviving local example of the property type, and one of two last auto-related
buildings remaining on Grand Avenue, it calls attention locally to the importance of the automobile and auto-
related commerce in the development of Des Moines, and the city’s role in distributing automobiles to
outlying communities. The building, constructed on the premier retail street in Des Moines and central
Iowa—and the premier street within Des Moines’ Auto Row—combined a formal front-of-house showroom
and offices for retail and wholesale sales, with a rear industrial-finish service center and second-floor final
assembly workshop.
Criterion C: The Argonne Building is significant locally as a well-designed and rare surviving example of an
interwar-era urban automobile multitenant building with upper-level residential apartments. Its location in the
1700 block of Grand Avenue calls attention to the Auto Row’s northwestern edge of development. The
original owner, E.L. Lloyd, operated a Ford dealership among other businesses, and in early 1917
announced plans to build a new dealership building with apartments above. World War I may have delayed
his building project, as it delayed the Ford plant opening. In 1919, as the Ford plant construction wrapped
up, Lloyd employed a handsome facade and attractive showroom retail spaces to help sell the public on the
new concept of automobiles for everyday living, allowing dealers to capture the public’s attention and
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differentiate their product in a crowded emerging marketplace.
The multiple-tenant auto service building was a less common Des Moines Auto Row property type when
constructed, and this building remains a rare-surviving building associated with downtown Des Moines
interwar automobile-related commerce and auto-related workforce housing. The building retains a high
degree of integrity including many original/early double-hung windows on upper stories and rear steel
industrial windows. The interior plan and many finishes also remain, with additional historic fabric that may
also exist beneath cover-up interior finishes. Many early-20th-century Auto Row buildings in Des Moines
have been demolished; this rare surviving well-preserved example is located within the largely intact
western end of the Auto Row, marked by Grand Avenue and 18th Street, a key junction within the Auto Row
district thanks to the opening of the Ford auto plant across the street from The Argonne.
A note about the property’s address: The Argonne generally has been assigned the street address 1723
Grand Avenue (1723-1733 Grand Avenue) plus 811 and 815 18th Street used during a time of multiple
tenants.
Auto-Related Commerce Significance: Early-20th-Century Exponential Growth in Iowa’s Capital City

Completed and first placed into service in 1919, The Argonne Building is historically significant under
National Register Criterion A - Commerce for its use as auto-related multiple-use building with Auto Row
workforce housing during the interwar era. The building was built during a period of exponential growth in
the nascent auto industry, in which Des Moines entrepreneurs played a key role in making Iowa a national
sales leader. The building was home to several Des Moines auto-related businesses including ••
As such, the building calls attention to the importance of the auto industry in Des Moines during the interwar
era.
Scholarly study has documented the rise of the automobile in the United States: Michael L. Berger’s The
Automobile in American History and Culture: A Reference Guide encapsulates how what started as a luxury
curiosity for entertaining the wealthy in the 1890s quickly grew in the first decades of the 20th century to
become a desired and relatively affordable necessity for work and leisure transportation on the farm as well
as in the city. And automotive writer Robert Genat’s The American Car Dealership looks in-depth at auto
sales trends. The advent of assembly line manufacturing and financing of car sales helped make auto
purchases accessible to middle-class consumers, fueling sales demand in the 1910s and 1920s—and the
related demand for service and repair. As the number of autos grew, so too did the number of specialty
service, general repair, and parts providers, along with other related businesses. At the same time, the
number of auto manufacturers winnowed: Between 1900 and 1918, some 600 different manufacturers had
produced autos; following World War I, fewer than 120 remained given manufacturing and distribution
changes; and during the 1920s and 1930s, the industry moved toward an oligarchy as the farm crisis and
then the Great Depression hollowed out middle-class auto sales. (Genat: 9-17; Berger xvii-xxiv)
The role of Des Moines as a regional retail center for automobiles and related accessories during the early
development of the U.S. auto industry has been documented in two large-scale scholarly studies. Historian
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James E. Jacobsen in his architectural and historical report “Des Moines’ First ‘West End’ and Its Transition
from Residential Neighborhood to Auto Row, from a Commercial District to the Western Gateway” found
that “Des Moines played a leading role in promoting auto ownership in Iowa. Iowa proved to be a national
leader in car ownership. As would be expected, the capital city dominated the state’s lesser cities and held
market sway in the center of the state.” (Jacobsen 2000: 31)
Historian Barbara Beving Long—in “Des Moines, Center of Iowa: Survey of Historic Sites,” a 1983
architectural and historical report plus related Iowa Site Inventories—found that the city’s Auto Row
developed as a district during the period of the greatest growth in registered vehicles in the state as dealers
sought showrooms to display autos, and auto-related businesses sprang up nearby. She noted that “[t]he
number of [vehicle] registrations in Iowa grew from just 40 in 1900 to 30,000 in 1911, 198,584 in 1916, and
707,231 in 1927.” (Long 1983b: #21)
Period local newspaper and chamber of commerce accounts lauded Iowa’s and Des Moines’ leading status
in auto ownership per capita. For example, in 1920, Iowa again led in autos per person, and so did the
capital city; a newspaper story highlighted “Des Moines in Top Place” for having more autos per capita than
any other U.S. city, with Omaha in second and Detroit third. (The Des Moines Register, January 19, 1920;
The Des Moines Register, May 6, 1920) As Long noted, the high percentage of Iowa and Des Moines autos
directly influenced the associated auto businesses, including specialty service and general repair, plus
various parts suppliers and wholesalers. These auto-related businesses played an important role in
supporting the local auto industry. Looking at the impact of the Des Moines auto industry, the Chamber of
Commerce’s Motor Trades Bureau reported in 1920 that it represented a local industry of 200 motor-trade
establishments with $75 million annually with $5 million in capitalization, employing 7,000 workers with $3
million in payroll. (Des Moines Sunday Register, January 25, 1920) Although the auto industry growth
seemed limitless in the 1910s, the 1920s saw new auto sales decline due to shortages of raw materials to
make parts, strikes by auto plant workers and railroad workers, shortage of rail freight cars, and competition
from used cars — which played against a parallel farm crisis that hit extra hard in Des Moines and largely
rural Iowa. (The Des Moines Register, October 19, 1919; Genat: 26; Motor World, January 26, 1921; Long
1988: E7)
Auto-Related Architectural Significance: “Cars Meet Commerce” in Building Auto Row

To understand the architectural significance of The Argonne Building as an example of specialized
commercial architecture found in interwar urban auto-related multiple-tenant buildings, it is helpful to further
examine the development of this building type. Multi-tenant buildings were a specialized variation of
commercial architecture tailored to accommodate three or more automobile specialty service and general
repair businesses and their customers’ automobiles. (The definition of this building type and the finding that
it may be a rare type appears in auto row surveys such as architectural historian William Kostura’s 2010
study of San Francisco’s auto row, “Van Ness Auto Row Support Structures: A Survey of Automobile-
Related Buildings along the Van Ness Avenue Corridor.”) As a rare surviving interwar example, The
Argonne Building calls attention to the special architecture engineered and built for multiple tenants involved
in vehicle service and repair, including simple front-of-house customer retail and receiving areas and retail
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displays, offices, parts stock areas, and large well-lit and well-ventilated service and repair work rooms.
In Main Street to Miracle Mile, scholar Chester H. Liebs examines how the “car met commerce” in the
United States, changing spatial relationships, reimagining architecture through the lens of a speeding
windshield, and producing new types of buildings and cultural landscapes to meet the needs of an auto-
driven culture. (Liebs: 7-3) In the beginning, autos were sold as a sideline by mainline merchants: “[L]ivery
owners began repairing cars in addition to boarding horses; bicycle and carriage shops became makeshift
auto showrooms.” (Liebs: 9) But the volume of sales—and sometimes the weight and size of the
merchandise—began to overwhelm existing retail infrastructure. (Liebs: 75) Some renovated, but many
more turned to new construction, adapting traditional storefront design by: adding expansive windows to
showcase oversized merchandise, adding façade garage doors especially if side or rear access was not
available, minimizing interior columns to accommodate maneuvering vehicles, engineering floors to hold live
and dead loads, and adding large windows and skylights in work rooms for plentiful light and ventilation.
(Liebs: 76-77)
Liebs examines the importance of dealership architecture in this era and the influence that model
showrooms had in shaping auto rows across the country:
Instead of being patterned after ordinary Main Street commercial blocks, these model
showrooms were crafted to resemble the most impressive office buildings, banks, and railroad
depots so they would instantly be perceived as civic assets….
Many early auto showrooms were not designed to stand up under the ever-increasing load of
cars, engines, repair equipment, batteries, tires, and myriad parts, nor were they constructed to take
the constant pounding and shaking cause by moving automobiles. They were also susceptible to
fire. With gasoline and electricity in close proximity, one misplaced spark could quickly turn early
motor marts, with their wooden floors and ceilings, into blistering infernos.
…. By the second decade of the new century, … architectural imagery was used not just to
give credibility to fledgling companies, but also to symbolize the power of established corporations
and the prosperity of successful dealers. (Liebs: 78-81)
Liebs notes that the early backroom functions of assembly, repair, and parts storage still took place, but out
of public view. Liebs calls this the “dichotomous architectural program of stimulating sales while providing
for service, all under the same roof.” (Liebs: 85)
With the evolution of new houses of commerce for cars (and trucks) came the development of a new type of
commercial district: the automobile row. Locating auto-related businesses nearby one another into “auto
row” or “motor row” districts mutually benefited businesses and customers. Liebs describes the creation of
an auto row as starting with dealers building their own often larger sales palaces outside of cramped
central-city quarters, with speculators infilling between with one-story, less ornate showrooms rented by
agents of smaller, lesser-known automakers. (Liebs: 83) Auto-related service, repair, specialty, and parts
suppliers followed, with most likely renting space in buildings customized to meet the needs of automobiles
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and their owners.
Des Moines, with its central location, capital city designation, and easy rail line access, became a regional
hub for auto distribution. This hub position allowed the Des Moines Auto Row to develop robustly, beyond
that of similarly sized cities of the time. New construction and reconstruction of Des Moines Auto Row
buildings on the western edge of the downtown central business district occurred in three major time
periods: pre- and World War I era (largely 1910-1918), interwar era (largely 1919-1941), and post-World
War II era (1946-late 1960s, with 1960s seeing a shift of new construction to suburban fringes outside of
downtown).
During these three eras, more than 100 Auto Row buildings were built new or modified to house new car
showrooms, tractor dealerships, used vehicle lots, specialty service and general repair firms, parking
garages, parts companies, top shops, auto detailing, and other related businesses clustered on the west
end of Des Moines’ central business district. (Jacobsen 2000) While new car dealerships dominated Locust
Street and to a lesser degree Grand Avenue, service, wholesale, and parts businesses gravitated south to
Walnut and Mulberry streets.
In his 2000 study of Des Moines’ Auto Row, Jacobsen examined the architectural trends and anomalies.
The following is a summary of building trends:
• “[N]early all of these buildings were architect-designed plans. They were commissioned and designed
locally and they could not have been built absent the delivery of plans and specifications to builders. A very
few buildings were corporate or franchise designs.” (Jacobsen: 150)
• Most commercial buildings in the Auto Row area fronted north or south, and tended toward lower-slung
one- and two-story configurations. Rather than building more massive buildings to convey the industry’s
prosperity, which involved higher construction costs and lengthier construction time periods, dealers and
speculative investors devoted resources to adding design details to facades and the sales floor. (Jacobsen:
150)
• “A number of two-story speculative buildings housed main floor auto firms and other upper level uses....
Those buildings with corner locations were particularly favored with the opportunity to house four or more
office spaces on the two public fronts.” Three auto buildings that he studied evolved into hotel apartments in
later years, all of which are nonextant. (Jacobsen: 151) The Rawson &Co. apartment building with auto
showrooms on the first level is a surviving Auto Row apartment example.
• “What is commonly called automobile influenced commercial architecture consists of an elongated low
profile plan having a mix of horizontal (belt courses, decorative elongated panels in the parapet and
between the floors, window bands) and vertical (pilasters, recessed window sets, finials, pediments) design
components. Finally, decorative inserts, particularly darts, pendants, or geometric patternings, in contrasting
materials and colors, are overlaid on the front. Most commonly, these are used to ornament pilaster caps or
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to enhance the parapet front.” (Jacobsen: 151)
• The use of engaged brick piers was found on other Auto Row buildings, particularly on examples from the
1920s. Jacobsen noted: “During the mid-1920s the decorative pilaster returned to dominate the commercial
front.” (Jacobsen: 151) Examples cited include the two-story 1417 Walnut Street (1417-25; built in 1924 with
1928 addition), two-story J. P. Wallace/Hudson Jones garage building (1201 Walnut, 1926; Proudfoot, Bird
& Rawson architects); three-story Northwestern Laundry (1100-1104 Grand Avenue, 1920; Boyd & Moore
architects); and grand four-story Polyclinic hospital building (414-424 10th Street, 1923; Vorse, Kraetsch &
Kraetsch architects). (Jacobsen: 151, 156)
Although Jacobsen did not identify multi-use auto buildings as a type, examination of buildings he surveyed
finds that few multi-use buildings (defined as having three or more tenants) existed in Des Moines. As such,
The Argonne Building appears to be a rare local Auto Row type. Two other known extant multi-tenant auto
buildings are the 1915 four-story Rawson & Co. Apartment Building with first-story auto row commercial
space that was built onto an earlier apartment building (Hallett Flat-Rawson & Co. Apartment Building,
1301-1307 Locust Street; NRHP 2000) and the 1925-1928 two-story Walnut Tire–Globe Publishing Building
(1417-1425 Walnut Street; NRHP 2017). The Argonne combines the “dichotomous architectural program” of
decorative masonry façade with light-industrial rear. The building was engineered to accommodate autos:
Structural steel trusses span the width of the rear one-story garage—making possible the wide-open
workspace for easy maneuvering of autos. Further study of the engineering of the building may show
additional structural steel. Other auto-related features included large storefront windows that reach nearly to
sidewalk level topped with transoms to illuminate and showcase wares, multiple garage bay doors for drive-
in access, and large industrial steel-frame windows in the rear and skylights on the one-story garage for
plentiful light and ventilation. Care was taken on the façade and façade wrap-arounds to produce an
attractive design featuring engaged brick piers, brick belt course, and stone accents.
On the interior, the first floor features five storefront areas for customer reception and retail displays that
contain some original/early historic fabric. Three of the spaces stretched front-to-back and would likely have
had stock areas for parts as well as rear open workspaces. In particular, the one-story garage was listed on
the 1920 Sanborn map as having space for 24 cars. The upper-level Auto Row workforce apartments,
reached by a front central staircase/elevator and rear internal stair/elevator features an ornate marble-lined
front vestibule and stair lobby with small office. The apartments feature plaster-finished perimeter walls and
ceilings, illuminated by double-hung windows.
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N
Figures 5-6: Left: The 1920 Sanborn map shows the footprint of building, here outlined black. The map
inaccurately depicts the angled portion of the building and does not include skylights, elevators, nor rear
staircase. Later versions of the map also did not include these items. Right: The 1950 updated Sanborn
map shows storefronts had been modified by the post-war era; farm machinery warehouse and repair shop
occupied the former Packard showroom and distributorship.
Commercial Significance: Ford Factory as Engine of Development and

Key Auto-Related Companies Occupying the Argonne Building in the Interwar Era, 1919-1941
The Argonne Building is significant locally for its associations with auto-related commerce in Des Moines
during the interwar period, from construction in 1919 through 1941, the last year of the interwar era which
also coincides with the last year Ford operated the auto plant across the street.
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Figures 6-7: These two pages of the 1901 Sanborn map show the Chamberlain land in the 1700-1800
blocks before platting. The land was marked “rough land, not laid out in lots” and featured a creek running
through it.
The property on which The Argonne was built was undeveloped land previously owned by E.J. and Fannie
A.V. Ingersoll. Following E.J. Ingersoll’s death, in 1900 his widow sold the land to Lowell Chamberlain,
secretary of a large patent medicine company and real estate investor that included the future Argonne site.
The 1901 Sanborn map shows the Argonne site as part of a two-block parcel of “rough land, not laid out in
lots,” with a creek running through it near what would become 18th Street. Chamberlain and his wife
Catherine lived a few blocks west in a large house on Grand Avenue. In the early 1900s Chamberlain
developed residential leased flats on the eastern portion of the land (1801 Grand Avenue), and then in 1910
built an auto garage west of 17th Street (1719-1721 Grand Avenue). He later cut through 18th Street.
Meanwhile, nearby former residential lots were being redeveloped into high-tech industrial plants and light
industrial automotive uses: The Successful Farming printing plant (1716 Locust Street) announced in 1909
and completed by 1912 one block south, and the Iowa Homestead printing plant (1915 Grand Avenue) was
completed in 1915 one block west.
Against this backdrop, in April 1916 Ford Motor Co. announced it would build a large assembly plant next
door to the Homestead plant. (Des Moines Register and Leader, “Ford Company Plans Branch Factory
Here,” April 29, 1916: 1) The story detailed how the 6-story factory with a half-million square feet of floor
would be built upon the assembled land with a frontage of some 230 feet along Grand Avenue. And
between 250 and 300 men would be employed to manufacture cars for Iowa, with the $5 a day profit-
sharing wage plan. A December 1916 story showed the factory architectural sketch by industrial architect
Albert Kahn, and called the building “the greatest single industrial and commercial advance in Des Moines
during the last year.” (Des Moines Register and Leader, “New Ford Motor Plant and General Manager,”
December 31, 1916: Commercial) Meanwhile, investors sought to purchase land on Locust Street in
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particular, with Lowell Chamberlain’s brother D.S. Chamberlain purchasing land in 1916 for the Payne and
Taylor motor companies; he erected a two-story showroom building (1312 Locust Street; NRHP 2007)
completed by 1918. (Des Moines Register and Leader, “Another Locust Street Boom,” October 12, 1916:
10)
Figure: “Ford Assembly Plant,” 1800 Grand Avenue, as photographed looking southwest February 12,
1925, from in front of the Argonne Building, 1723 Grand Avenue. Visible at the far right is the Iowa
Homestead Building, one of three large industrial plants located within a block of the Argonne Building.
<Available online from Henry Ford Museum, www.thehenryford.org, Des Moines branch 1925 photograph>
In December 1916, Lowell Chamberlain leased the future Argonne site to E.L. Lloyd. The Des Moines
Register reported in January 1917:
“Plans for a three-story modern building on Grand Avenue across from the new Ford
assembling plant are being considered by E.L. Lloyd of the Lloyd Motor Company. Recently Mr.
Lloyd secured from Lowell Chamberlain through J. Paul Neal a long-time lease on a tract of land just
west of the Studebaker service station [possibly 1719-1721 Grand Avenue]. The tract has a frontage
of 130 feet on Grand.
It is said that the contemplated building will be a combined business and apartment house.
The first floor will be used as a salesroom and service station for the motor company and the two
upper floors will be in apartments.” (Des Moines Register, “New Building Planned,” January 7, 1917:
Commercial)
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National Register of HistoricPRIMARY

Places ROADS TO BE MARKED PRICE TWO CENTS
Continuation Sheet MfClTWfRY LOSES $5000, THEN MAKES GOOD

THE GOLIATH
WITH OFFICIAL SYMBOL JULY 12 THAT WE MUST
Numbers and Right and Left Turn Symbols For SLAY!
Wet
Much Loss RAISING BLOODED CHICKENS
Weather Has Caused
AMES, la—According to H A
Every Turn and Cross Road In State Bittenbender of Iowa state College Poultry Raising No Game For An Amateur, Says Man Who
Iowa poultry raisers are suffering
According to the Iowa State High primary road in the county during oases in their flocks this spring due Has Tried the Game.
to wet weather. Some people have
way Commission Service Bulletin the week selected. reported that they ha've f los t ^ Can an inexperienced man make u large flock profitably. As a mat-
July 12 to 17 is to be road numbe J many Hs SO young chicks clally'from money with poultry?
Section 8 Page 21
lowans and those from outside ter of fact h u n d r e d s of men have
Property name The Argonne Building

painting week in Iowa. State roa< the state traveling within its bor- a disease that kills the chicks in a Charles Leros of Grinnell, lowu,
officials have adopted a numberin, ders have long- complained at the «Mry KI , rl time ' Oth«-s say the thinks not and says that "no branch failed in th e p o u l t r y game because
older birds are <\yins at the rate of of animal husbandry LI more ha/.- of this mistaken idea
system and a. standard road numbe inefficiency and lack of signs upon eight or 10 daily. Some years ago Mr. Leros waa
symbol. Every county in the stat the main highways, and this in the According to Mr. .Bittenbender ardous and more uncertain fo:- the
man than poultry working i n a eai-riagc factory, but
this s fowl cholera in most cases or inexperiencedand Mr. Leros is a good finally decided to go i n to the chick-
is being asked to join in one big co state which originated the painted brooder pneumonia. It is prevalent i-aising;"
authority for he has ha<l eight or en raising. He traded his interest in
operative move to have these sym
bols and numbers painted on everj Post tourist trail. With over SO £*f wMi'i1"! ,because 'he chickens the factory for a ID-acre tract o£
Set chi.led. drink rain water which ten years of experience and has had land, deciding that he would po in-to
of tho counties of the state some stands around and becomes con- the usual ups and downs of the the poultry game. The tract had for^
three weeks ahead of the date, taminated. average poultry faneier, with per-
SET FAJHATES
met-ly been used for that purpose
agreeing to co-operate, there is ev- Mr. Bittenbender says that the dis- haps a few more of the latter than and had a shod on it equipped to"•
ease can bo distinguished among the the common run.
ery indication that this complaint On the other hand Mr. Leros take care of 500 hens. When ho had

chicks by evidences of their being
will not be justified after Saturday off feed, standing around dejected thinks that there is no branch of paid for tho capital peace he had $5000 left
State Agriculture Board Lists sign July 17, the closing day of road looking, or diarrhoea, or by opening t-he farm game more profitable than for working and for tho pur-
painting week. a bird and finding the liver en- poultry when it is properly cared for chase of stock. Ho says today that
hart he been fortified with tho'neces-
.,. County Affairs Iowa's road numbering system is larged, soft and with white spots •incl handled by an expert. sary experience and knowledge
clmilar to that in use in several mid- on it. The intestines will be red Loses §5000 in Two Years
..Dates for practically all county dle western states. Wisconsin is inside and congested condition of the Starting with no experience and his $5000 would be ample to have
Des Moines Register fairs in Iowa have been announced credited with being the first to
by the State Board of Agriculture adopt it and was in turn followed
The Des Moines Register (Des Moines, Iowa)
as follows: · Sun, Aug 10, 1919 · Page 16
by Ohio, Minnesota, Illinois, Michi-
blood noticable. a little money two years saw his seen him through, b u t disaster over-
"Thoroly clean the chicken house small capital asvept away and a loss took him in the way of disease
and spray them with a 5 per cent of fully 55000 starting "him in tho among his flocks and "they died "like
Adalr—Greenfield, Sent. 16-19. gan and Nebraska. In this system y, CoL-.t«y at Goodrtct, NtUontl Touring Bureau - Aknr]. O. fc> solution of standard stock dip," says face. Today he is making consider- flies," then too, they refused to lay
Adams—Corning. Sept. 14-17. an important main tracveled road Z?*®®*^*^ - v-^-^ -. Mr. Bittenbendei-. "This spray should ably over $4000 a year out of his in the winter. All of this ho couldn't
Allaraakee—Wuukon. also be used around the pen where poultry, in speaking of his losses understand, but gradually it began to
http://desmoinesregister.newspapers.com/image/128877038 Downloaded on Nov 13, 2017
Audubon—Audubon. Scjit 14-1".
Benton—Vlnton. Sept. 13-17.
between important transportation
centers is given a designating num- :he Chicks run. The chickens should Mr. Leros said: "Why, If 1 had Just soak in that he- needed knowledge
then be confined and the water they •cnown enough to have hired out to and he weni about acquiring it.
Black Hawk—Cedar Kalis, Sent. 4-10 ber. This number is painted on
Black Hawk—Waterloo. Sepl. 137-Oct 3 telegraph, telephone, or specially IMPROVE CREAM IN WORTH fact that only about 1 per cent of drink treated with bi-chloride O t an experienced up-to-date poultry Changes .Methods With Profit
Boone—Ouden. July ^7-30. erected poles at every intersection, NORTH WOOD, la — A recent the cream was sweet; this year 66 CO'RN YIELD TEST mercury, mixed with water, 7.3 man for a year or su for my board Hi- read everything he could pet
Bremer—Waverly. Aug. 17-20. jrain tabled -in a gallon of water. mrt lodging before I started, I would his hands on nertalnins to poultry
Buchanan—Aurora, Sept. 7-9. turn and cross-road between these per cent of the cream was sweet. IND1A.XOLA. la — Fifteen farm- "HO
• Buchanan—Jesup, AUK. 2r>-27 points, also at times at one or two cream improvement contest, carried As a result of the cream improve- ers of Warren-co have submitted
earthen or wooden dish to mix." vivo been thousands of dollars ahead and p o u l t r y raising ana gradually he
Buchanan—IndeiKmdence, Sept 11-17. joints ^between cross-roads. The on among the patrons of the Ten- today, for instead, of losing $f>000 saw where he W;IH making his mis-
Buena Vista—Alta. AUE. 17-20. ment work, the Tenold creamery is samples of corn, 10 ears each, for ind my own labor for two years I
Butler—Alllsnn. Sept. 7-10. raveler, or anyone using the road, old creamery, has worked out most receiving 3.3 cents more per pound the corn yield test, according to awakened a great deal of interest would have made a profit of 35000." takes. Changing his methods he be-
Calhoim—Manson. AUR. 31-Sept. 3. mce he learns what route number admirably. Last year the first for their butter, based on quality, County Agent Fred L. Overly. The imong farmers all over the county. Ran to get over on the right side
C'alhoun—Koukwell City.-Aug. 3-6. eads to his destination, simply fol- scoring of the cream disclosed the Mr. Leros says that because ono of tho ledger. Ho built a new poul-
Carroll—Carroll. Auy. 10-13.
ows the numbers as they appear
as compared with last year. corn has been planted and has A test is being- made with acid may
phosphate In the same field.'
make a success of a few chick- try house, modf-rn in every way, and
Cass—Atlantic. Sept. 6-10. ens is no reason why he can manage
Cass-^-Massena. AUK. 30-Sapt 2. rom point to point, without worry- Turn to Pngo M. Column 4.)
Cedar—Tlpton. AUK. ai-Sept. 3. ng about maps or guide books. If
Cerro d'ordo—Mason City. AUE. 14-20 road intersections are properly
Clay-—Spencer. Sept. 2S-Oct. I,
Clayton^-.Vatlonal. AUK. »l-Sept 3 marked so that the routing is clear,
Clayton—Elkader. Sept. 7-10. le should have no trouble in follow^
Clayton—Strawberry I'olnt. AUK 1B-°0 ns the. numbers to his destination.
CHntpn—De Witt, Sent 7-10. ' " '
Crawford—Arlon. Sepl. .7-10. So far as possible, numbers on im-
Clarke—Osceola. lortant interstate routes thru Iowa
Dallas—Adel. Sept. 14-16. lave been given numbers corre-
.Davis—^BloomflslU. Sept. 14-17.
Deffitur—-Leon. Sept. 13-17. ponding with the number of the
Delaware—Manchester. Auc. 31-Sept 3 ame road in adjoining states. When
Des Moines—Burllmrton. Auc 23-°8 ' ' owa started numbering her high-
Vayebte—West Union. Auc 23-27 '
Floyd—Cliarles City, Sept. 7-10 ' vays it was found that the Jeffer-
rremont—Hamburg. Sept. 7-U. on Highway was No. 1 in Minne-
Greene—Jefferson. Sept.' 6-10 ota. This number was assigned to
Grunay—Grundy Center. Sent. 7-in. he same route in Iowa. The River
tjuthrJe—Guihrle Center. Sept. 22--.M
Hamilton—Webster City. Sept. 7-10 o River road in Illinois was No 7
Hancock—Brltt. AUK. 29-Scm. 3 nri.Became No. 7 in Iowa. The
Hardln—Eldora, Auc;. 23-27. River,--to River road, It may be men-
Harrison—Missouri Valles-, Sent 14-17
Henry—Wlnfleld. AUR. 16-20. loned, was the original painted
Humboldt—Humboldt, Sept. 14-17. rail road. Its sign, the white band
Iowa—AVllllamslnirc. n telegraph and telephone poles at
Jnckson—Maquoketii. Aue. 31-Sent 3
Jasper—Newton.. Sept. 20-'';{ urns and cross-roads, was painted
Jefferson—Fa Irfield. Aue 10-13. ntirely across the state from Dav-
Jones—Slontlcello, Auc. 24-2". enport to Council Bluffs, in a sin-
Jones—Anamoso. Sept. 7-10.
Keokufc—What Che«r. Sept. 12-1G gle day, 10 years ago. The Blue
Ivossutli—AJcona, Sept. 6-30. " ' Grass trail is No. 8 in both Illinois
. L«e—Donellaon. Aue. 10-13. and Iowa. The Red Ball is No. 40
Lee-T-^Vwt Point. Aug. 3-6. ,
in Iowa and Minnesota, and the
i-lnn—Marion." Aufr. 16-19. ^I'th^Jtowa Pike, now part of the
L-oulsa^Cdiumlnia..Junction. Sept. 14-17
Lucas—Derby. Sent. 8-11.
IvaHona,!": Parks Highway, is J\Tq. 19
Lynn—Itock Rapids. Aug. SH-Sent 3. in Iowa' and Wisconsin. No. 59, a
M.Thaska—Oskaloosa. Sept. 4-10 north and south road thru Center-
Mnr'on—Knnxvllle. Auc. 9-13. ville, Albia, Oskaloosa, Tama, r Wa-
Jfarlnn—Pellu.- terloo and New Hampton, is N o. 59
Mursliiill—Marsnalltown. Sept. 13-17
Marshall—Marshall-town. Dec. 7-9 still in Minnesota to Rochester.
Mlils—'Malvern, Auc. 0-13. On the inside cover page of this
MltchoU—Owce, AUB--24-27. issue of the service bulletin will be
. Monona—Onawa. Sept. 13-16
• Monroe—Albia. AUR. 23-26 found a map of the primary road
"Mnscatlne—West Llherty, Auc. 23-2G. system with the numbers of the
(VBrleii—Sheldon. Auc. 23-27 roads. This map is a reduction -
O'Brien—Sutherland.
race—Clarlnda, Auc. 23-27. from a large map which is soon to
Pcjre-^Shenandoah, Aue;. 16-20 be made available for distribution to
.Ppcahontas—Fonda. Auc. 10-13. the public thru garages and the cus
Pottavrattamle—Avoca. AUR. 2S-26. tomary news agencies. The primarj
rowcshlek—rMnlcoIm. Kopt. 2S-30.
Sac—Sac City. July 27-30. road system has been selected b"
Scott— Davenport, Auc. 16-21. the State Highway Commission, act
Shelby—Harlan. AUK. 16-10. ing with the boards of supervisors
Slour—Orance City. Sept. 7-10.
Story—Ames. Sepl. 21-24. of the various counties. It has been
•Tama—Toledo. Sept. 20-24. one of the big and troublesome
Taylor—Bedford, Auc. 3-7. tasks devolving upon the commis
Van Buren—Milton, Sept. 7-10.
WfloeHo—Ottumwa. (Turn to Page 14, Column 3.)
warren—Indlnnola. Auc. 16-20.
\va.vne— Oorydon. Auc. 23-27.
nebster—•Ft. Dodce. Auc. 21-2S. MARSHALL EXPERIMENTS
"irmobniro-^Forost City. AUK. 24-2". ---.- la — Mar
JMnneahlek—Decor-all, Aue. 10-13
» oodbury—Sfoux City. Sept. 19-23. shall-co has fully 5000 acres of the
wnrrh—Northwood. Sept. 14-18. combination of corn and either hog
Wrljrlu—Clarion. Auc. 10.14. ging down or silage varieties of soy
beans planted together, according:
to County Agent W. A. Buchanan
Most of this was planted with plant O
er attachments, using from two to
four beans per hill of corn. "We
o
have an interesting experiment CD
Pull The Throttle
started," said Mr. Buchanan, "to
O
To the Car and Truck Owners of Central Iowa
determine whether soy beans plant
ed -in corn reduce the corn yield
and tonnage of green feed, and if
O
so what bean yield is secured to
offset this decrease in corn yield.
o
Engineer Goffman Says Corn was planted exactlyT three ker- CD
nels per checked hill. N o beans in CD
He Was a Victim Of
Both Rheumatism
four rows, two beans per hill next
four, three in' next four, four in
next four, five in next, and so on.
CD
CD
The Packard-Iowa Motor Company is now ready to meet the growing
A hogging down variety used in one
and Indigestion plot and a silage variety used in
the other plot. Soy beans inoculat-
CD
O
need for efficient transportation in Des Moines and Central Iowa
Before He Began ed. Seeded May 21, 1920. We have
a variety test of 17 varieties of soy
Taking Tanlac. beans, nil inoculated; another plot
Still another well known

railroad man testifies to the
drilled for hay, another composed
of soy beans and Sudan grass,
drilled together for hay."
remarkable merits of Tanlac. 1 /IAHASKA WOMEN ORGANIZE

G. F. Cofrman. of Columbus, OSKALOOSA, la—According to
O
CD
H ERE is an organization pri-
marily designed for service.
A service both new and unique
to the experienced car or truck owner.
To insure a high standard of work-
manship, a separate maintenance
department is conducted for both
cars and trucks. Our mechanics are
truck expert—a man who gained
valuable Packard transportation ex-
perience while in service abroad.
Nebraska, popular engineer Miss Neal s. Knowles, state leader of CD
on - the Chicago. Burlington home demonstration agents in Iowa r O First; Packard-Iowa Service-begins Packard trained. Mr. William Pharis, Service Super-
and Quincy Railroad, between Mahaska-co is the best organized
Columbus and Lincoln, Ne- county In the state having no home CD with the proper selection of the right intendent. Formerly with the Payne
braska, said: demonstration agent. Miss Knowles
"Before taking Tanlac I was O car or truck. Each individual's prob- Motor Company. Mr. Pharis has re-
M
was in the county recently and gave
in such a terrible rundown
condition that I was simply
valuable assistance to the. woman O lem is studied—and an unbiased AY we introduce the three prin- cently been to the Packard Factory
along organization lines. A meeting
miserable. I suffered dread- was held at the farm bureau office CD recommendation made. Complete ciple men of this organization. specializing on the latest methods
fully from indigestion, and and about 35 women, representing 12
had such awful cramps in my CD Mr. Robert G.Wright—General Man- for repairing Packard cars and
stomach that it almost doubled
townsh-lps, were present. Officers data on Packard performance—main-
me up. No matter how little
for the women's organization were O tenance or cost of operation will be ager, personally in charge of Carriage trucks.
elected as follows: President. Mrs. E.
I ate, it caused me to suffer
from severe pains in my stom-
Richardson, Pella; first vice presi- O available here. Sales. Mr. Wright for 10 years has
ach. I was tired nearly all the
time and had no energy, and
dent, Mrs. W. Johnson, Oskalocsa;
second vice president, Miss Cecil o specialized on Packard Service—a for-
I got such little sleep that in Moore, Cedar; secretary, Mrs. W. o Secondly; Packard-Iowa "after- mer Packard Factory executive re,-
the mornings I felt as worn-
out aa when I went to bed the
night before. My left shoul-
der ached awfully, and was
Hoy, Oskaloosa,
CLUB SALE IN FAYETTE
FAYETTE, la—According to
o
CD
sale" service is complete. The well-
known Packard Uniform Repair
cently Truck Sales Manager for the
Joy Brothers Motor Car Company, I T is our hope that the Packard-
Iowa Company will have the oppor-
tunity and pleasure of giving service
so stiff that I could hardly County Agent Clyde H. Combs, the O Methods—which identifies Packard Packard Distributers for Minnesota
work my throttle. pure bred Hoi stein heifer calf club to every Packard owner in Central
"One of my friends in L i n - sale held here recently was a de- O service throughout the country, has and northwest Wisconsin.
coln told me how Tanlac had cided success. Seventeen heifers, CD been installed here, under Factory Iowa. Also that we will be able to
fixed him up in fine shape, so which had been "in the hands of Mr. Henry M. Brown, Transporta- extend our Service to any man or O
I started taking it myself.
My appetite began to pick up
tho boys for the past year, were
disposed of at good prices. At the
O direction. You know in advance what tion Engineer, in charge of Truck
from the very first and now beginning of the sale A. Hanson, an O repairs cost. woman interested in the proper se-
has come back good and Oelwein banker, offered $50 as a O Sales. A thoroughly trained Packard lection of cars or trucks. O
strong. I have taken three special prize for the best seven-day
bottles of the medieine. and
no longer have a sign of indi-
record in the advanced club. The O
fair board at West Union is very
gestion, and am feeling fine. liberal with its club prizes and this O
PACKARD.IOWA MOTOR COMPANY
My arm and shoulder are im-
proving rapidly, and my sleep adds much interest to the contest.
The recent sale brought an average
O
• sound and refreshing. My of $610 a head for the Holsteins.
wife was troubled with rheu-
matism also and it oniy took
three 'bottles of Tanlac to re- WOOL GOES FROM JOHNSON
O
lieve her entirely. We both
think there is no medicine
equal to Tanlac and glvo it
IOWA CITY. Ta.—Sheep men of
the county shipped hundreds of
pounds of wool from Iowa City and O 1725 Grand Ave. Des Moines, Iowa
our highest endorsement."
Tanlac is sold In DCS Moines
Kalona recently to the big associa- O
tion warehouse at Chicago. At Ka-
by the John McNer.ney Drug lona the Washington and Johnson
Co.—Advertisement. county growers co-operated with the
!!il! Farmers Union store in shipping
their woo>
Figures: Left: The Argonne Building was nearing completion in August 1919, with windows in the fourth floor
Copyright © 2017 Newspapers.com. All Rights Reserved.
apartment units installed but not yet in place on second the third floors. (Des Moines Register, August 10,
1919: 16M) Right: The largest tenant space became home to a Packard dealership in 1920. (Des Moines
Daily News, Packard ad, July 8, 1920: 9)
Perhaps in response to slowed building timeline for the Ford plant due to World War I (the government
planned to use the factory as a hospital for a time), Lloyd did not start construction until spring 1919, and by
then he had shifted from providing a showroom for his own auto dealership to providing leased tenant
space. The Chamberlains filed the lease with Lloyd from 1916 in February 1919. A newspaper brief stated:
“The new building on W. 18th St. and Grand Av. Now in process of construction was leased Friday by the
Kelly Springfield Tire Co. of Detroit from E.L. Lloyd for five years. The tire company will establish a local
branch in Des Moines as soon as the building is finished. (Des Moines Daily News, “Building is Leased,”
February 15, 1919: 3) Lloyd secured a building permit issued March 27, 1919, #17578, for address 1723
Grand Avenue for a $50,000 project.
In March 1919, the Des Moines Register reported on Lloyd constructing the 42-apartment building with
automobile space leased already to Kelly tires and automotive French, Beamer & Wissler Inc. and leasing
additional land north of The Argonne from the Chamberlains for additional future apartment development
that does not appear to have been developed as such. The Register noted: “Great development is expected
in this neighborhood during the present year. Situated a block from the new Ford building, it is thought by
real estate men and builders that apartment houses will be in big demand by the well paid Ford workers.
(8-86)


Continuation Sheet
Several large café and restaurant houses have been inspecting sites in this neighborhood. There is to be no
cafeteria in the Ford building, it being a rule in the Ford institutions that no lunches be eaten in the building,
opening the way for a large dining hall.” (Des Moines Register, “E.L. Lloyd Gets Desirable Lease,” March 9,
1919: 8X) The next week, the Register reported that the stores beneath the apartments would include non-
automotive businesses— a bank, grocery store with meat market, drug store with soda fountain, and
cabaret—tailored to accommodate Ford, Iowa Homestead, and Successful Farming employees. The
basement cabaret would be joined by a basement kitchen with serving capacity for factory-shift lunches.
Parking would be accommodated on the new section of 18th Street deeded by Lowell Chamberlain to the
city. A.S. Kirkhart, experienced in hotel and restaurant management, signed a 10-year lease on the location.
(Des Moines Register, “City Soon to Have Cabaret,” march 16, 1919: Commercial)
However, within a few months, automotive tenants were listed as occupying the storefronts. For unknown
reasons, Kelly tires did not locate nor did the bank/market/drug store/cabaret plans come to fruition. Instead,
five different automotive businesses opened, at least two with direct ties to Ford automobiles. From this
beginning, the multitenant approach seemed wise given the ups and downs experienced by the auto
industry, a multi-tenant building offered Lloyd the landlord the ability to spread out the risk amongst a
diversified tenant mix. The well-designed façade helped sell the building to tenants, who sought to
differentiate their services and product brands in a crowded marketplace—and therefore helped sell the
public on the occupying tenants. So, too, did the well-designed rear workspaces further help sell the
building to tenants, who sought plentiful light and ventilation—and, for the auto-related businesses, easy
vehicular access. The building’s richly adorned lobby and entrance stair undoubtedly helped “sell” the
apartments. Here is a list of the first commercial tenants:
• In spring 1919, Fort Dodge, Iowa-based Hanson & Tyler Auto Co. announced it would open a Des Moines
store in the Argonne, 1725 Grand Ave., advertising as “largest automobile dealers in the state” carrying
Scripps-Booth dealers and Traffic trucks—and distributing both in central and western Iowa as well as
Omaha. (Des Moines Daily News, “New Motor Agency,” May 21, 1919:3 and Scripps-Booth ad, July 27,
1919: 3; Des Moines Register, Traffic ad, November 9, 1919: Commercial)
• In summer 1919, Omaha-based Odell Hamilton Co. opened a Des Moines branch to sell Mack trucks at
the Argonne, 1723 Grand Ave., with a full line of Mack trucks, day and night on-site service, and repair parts
stock. (Des Moines Capital, “Omaha Truck Co. Opens D.M. Branch,” July 20, 1919: 17)
• In summer 1919, French, Beamer & Wissler, exclusive distributors of Hassler shock absorbers for Ford
cars and trucks, opened a sales and service station at the Argonne, 1731 Grand Ave. The company also
offered garage equipment including radiator repair machines and Quaker state oil for distribution in Iowa.
(Des Moines Capital, ad, August 13, 1919: 10; Des Moines Register, “Hassler Dealers Located,” August 24,
1919: “Good Roads” section)
• By fall 1919, Chicago-based Brown-Moriarty Motor Co. was selling Briscoes from its “beautiful new office
and salesroom,” the corner showroom at 1733 Grand Ave. (Des Moines Register, “Briscoe Sales Room
(8-86)


Continuation Sheet
Ready,” November 9, 1919: 4S; Briscoe ad, February 15, 1920: 4S) The company distributed Briscoe cars
and trucks in Illinois and Iowa. M.G. Moriarty lived in an apartment upstairs as of the 1920 city directory. By
spring 1921, the company had moved to the Argonne 1723 Grand Ave. storefront location. (Des Moines
Register, ad, April 10, 1921: 11)
• By late fall 1919, the Detroit-based Dafoe-Eustice company opened a retail salesroom and offices at the
Argonne, 1727 Grand Ave. (smaller front office space), for distributing Ustus Limousettes side curtains for
Fords, among other product lines. Previously the Herring Motor Company had handled the products, but
under new agreement E.H. Eustice moved to Des Moines as branch manager to head the sales team for
distribution to Iowa, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Kansas and Nebraska. (Des Moines Register,
“Dafoe-Eustice Open Branch,” December 7, 1919: Commercial)
• In 1920, the largest tenant space, 1725 Grand Ave., was leased by the Packard–Iowa Motor Co., which
ran a large advertisement with an elegant pen-and-ink drawing of the showroom announcing its choice
location. (Des Moines Daily News, Packard ad, July 8, 1920: 9) By 1939, it would be home to the Cadillac-
LaSalle service station.
• By 1922, 1723 Grand Ave. was home to Alemite Lubricator Company of Iowa, distributor of a high
pressure lubricating system.
The Argonne apartments were fully leased as of the 1920 city directory, with the exception of the three
smallest units (213, 313, 413) each listed as “guests room” — apparently available for shorter-term rental,
perhaps by friend(s) of guests. Auto Row work force is represented such as by M. Moriarty of Moriarty-
Brown auto company, which leased a tenant space on the first floor. A 1924 ad for an available apartment
listed it as “CHOICE unfurnished apartment: living room, bathroom, kitchenette and dressing room. Water,
light, electricity for stove furnished. Price $47.50. Possession at once. Argonne Apartment.” (Des Moines
Register, April 13, 1924: classifieds) By the 1930 U.S. Census, apartment owner E.L. Lloyd listed his
occupation as owner of “apartment hotel.” This term often meant that maid services were provided. This
may have been the initial concept or a value-added business change. Lloyd died in 1934. By 1936, under
new ownership, the Argonne Apartment Hotel was the official name of the dwelling units; advertising listed
weekly prices with maid service, and a 1930s photograph shows the term “hotel” as part of the business
name. And the 1936 inaugural Iowa Hotel Greeters of America chapter included Irving Rosenbaum of the
Argonne Apartment hotel as entertainment committee chair. (Des Moines Register, “Greeters Get Charter
No. 40,” March 8, 1936: Commercial)
Another amenity offered in the building by 1923 was the Argonne ballroom, which was advertised as a
reservable space for parties and dances; a variety of clubs listed events in the society pages hosted at the
Argonne Ballroom, 1729 Grand Ave. (Des Moines Register, “The Argonne Ballroom,” November 9, 1923:
classifieds) It’s currently unclear whether the ballroom occupied the main basement or another space and
how public access was made; further research recommended when removal of cover-up materials can be
done.
(8-86)


Continuation Sheet
Regarding the naming of the building, which is incised “The Argonne” in stone at the cornice level: the
American Legion post for Des Moines was named Argonne Post No. 60, and opened in 1919. Perhaps
patriotism or marketing based on patriotism spurred the naming; Lloyd was a native Canadian. Further
research may turn up additional connections. Additionally, the name may have proved helpful in getting
financing for the project. The Central Trust Company of Des Moines offered $31,500 in real estate bonds at
6-1/4 percent for the Argonne Apartments; another six projects were listed at rates varying from 6 to 6-1/2
percent. (Des Moines Register, August 24, 1919; Commercial)
Regarding the Argonne owner, Egbert Lindsay Lloyd was a native of Canada who had moved to Iowa by
the 1900 U.S. Census living in Mahaska County, where he had come by way of Chicago working in the coal
industry. By 1910, he was living at Hotel Savery and pursuing his own coal and lumber businesses; he
listed his year of immigration as 1895. On his World War I draft card listed his birthdate as January 11,
1875, and his occupation as manager of Consumer Fuel Co., living permanently at Hotel Lloyd, and his
closest relative being his brother Elsworth Lloyd of Des Moines, who was manager of Consumer Fuel. E.L.
Lloyd renounced his Canadian citizenship in 1921, listing his permanent arrival date as 1905 in his
successful petition for U.S. citizenship. Lowell Chamberlain died in 1922, and the land lease reverted to his
son, Joseph. Lloyd moved into the Argonne Hotel after disposing of his interest in his eponymous Hotel
Lloyd in about 1924, and was living there by the 1925 state census. In the 1930 U.S. census, Lloyd listed
his occupation as owner of apartment hotel, valued at $140,000, and was dwelling in unit 309.
(Ancestry.com) Upon Lloyd’s death in 1934, the Des Moines Tribune reported on a tax squabble over
unpaid taxes on the Argonne dating to 1931. In 1926, an investment firm made a $55,000 first mortgage
loan on the property, which was owned by the Chamberlain estate and leased to the late E.L. Lloyd;
payments on the loan were delayed. (Des Moines Tribune, “Tax Proposal Before Board,” June 29, 1935: 3)
In 1932, Ford stopped assembly at the plant with promises to restart at a later better economic time.
However, assembly never did resume, and instead the plant was used for distribution. In 1942, Ford leased
the plant to Solar Aircraft Co. of San Diego, California, which made the front page of the newspaper, a
demonstration of the strong local interest in the fate of the Ford plant. (Des Moines Register, “Plane Parts
Firm Seeking D.M. Factory,” April 25, 1942: 1) This change was indicative of larger Great Depression and
wartime forces on the automotive market as the number of auto producers and related industries quickly
winnowed. During Great Depression, the southwest corner auto showrooms were converted to grocery
(1733 Grand) and restaurant (1731 Grand) use. In 1939, Webster Life Insurance Company remodeled 1733
Grand Ave. for its executive and administrative offices. (Des Moines Register, “Webster Firm in New Office,”
December 10, 1939: Commercial) The two southeastern spaces were used as storage battery and auto
dealership as of 1936 city directory.
(8-86)


Continuation Sheet
Figure: A view Grand Avenue east from 18th Street with Argonne Building at left attributed to 1939. (Iowa
State Historical Society Photo #1992.29.5, as cited in Jacobsen 2000)
Figure: A view of Grand Avenue west from mid-1700 block with Argonne Building at far right and Iowa
Homestead Building at far left, attributed to 1939. (Iowa State Historical Society Photo #1992, as cited in
Jacobsen 2000)
(8-86)


Continuation Sheet
Postscript of the Des Moines West End Auto Row and the Argonne Building
In the 1950s and 1960s, the downtown Auto Row remodeling and expanded north to Ingersoll Avenue,
Linden Street, and High Street. In 1953, Grand Avenue was reconfigured into a one-way street, which
impacted retailing as access and parking to buildings became more difficult at the same time that new retail
development outside of downtown and into the suburbs brought additional conveniences for parking and
related improvements. In the late 1960s and 1970s, as white-collar jobs and suburban homes moved farther
west and northwest, Des Moines dealerships began to follow suit. By the 1990s, most downtown
dealerships and related auto industries had left, with old showrooms used by smaller auto-related service or
specialty firms, for other light industrial or low-rent uses. (Jensen informant interview) Meanwhile, the
downtown apartment market also changed in the World War II and post-war era, particularly in the Des
Moines urban renewal era that brought new apartments outside of the downtown area and eventually into
the suburbs of Des Moines. Downtown apartment addresses moved down the scale of attractiveness and
popularity after the interwar era, as new post-war apartments including ones in the suburbs drew apartment
dwellers.
A similar fate was befalling apartment buildings in the central business district. In 1957, the city announced
its first urban renewal project, which encompassed some 300 acres directly north of Grand Avenue, starting
at Sixth Avenue east across the river; some auto-related buildings and a number of residential buildings
were removed. (Des Moines Register, “Put Cost of Razing Area at 19 Million,” November 26, 1957: 1) The
land was to be sold to private developers, and redevelopment included new apartments. Middle-class
consumers increasingly expected larger units with amenities including air-conditioning, larger kitchens, and
multiple rooms—amenities The Argonne lacked. In the late 1950s, Lloyd’s former hotel on Sixth Avenue and
High Street (which opened in 1913 and was sold to new owners in about 1924) was demolished to make
way for the 1962 Home Federal Savings and Loan Association of Des Moines Mies van der Rohe bank
building. Similar financial and insurance expansion, as well as parking lot development, removed much of
downtown Des Moines’s housing by the late 1970s, according to a 1979 Des Moines Register front-page
story, one in a series called “DOWNtown & OUT in Des Moines.” The Register reported that the city and
chamber of commerce’s redevelopment plans targeted removing apartment units, hotel apartments, and
hotels converted to single-room occupancy units, including the Chamberlain and the aforementioned Lloyd
hotels. The result was a drastic reduction in the number of apartment buildings and a growing gap in
available downtown housing for pensioners and other low-income apartment dwellers. (Des Moines
Register, “Downtown: New order vs. old,” February 18, 1979: 1)
The Argonne remained intact and perhaps enjoyed more stability than other apartments given its location
on the outer ring of the central business district and the continued ownership through 1986 by the
Chamberlain family via the Joseph N. Chamberlain Trust; the second-generation Chamberlain owner died in
1979. A 1967 Argonne Apartments ad for a redecorated 1-bedroom unit acknowledged its popularity with
older tenants, highlighting electric elevator access, saying “A perfect place to live if you have gray hair!”
(Des Moines Register, February 24, 1967: classifieds)
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Continuation Sheet
Meanwhile, large-scale demolition of Auto Row Buildings occurred during the 1990s and early 2000s due to
two massive corporate campus construction projects and the creation of a large sculpture park and public
library. However, the last decade has seen a renewed interest in the rare remaining auto-related buildings,
with several being restored or rehabilitated, including six auto-related showrooms located southeast a few
blocks, in the 1300-1400 double block of Locust Street (all NRHP listed): Rawson & Co. Apartment Building
with first-floor auto showroom, part of 1301-1307 Locust; D.S. Chamberlain Building auto showroom, 1312
Locust; Apperson-Iowa Motor Car Company Building auto showroom, 1420 Locust; G.W. Jones Building
Delco-Light showroom, 1430 Locust; Studebaker Corporation Branch Office Building with adjoining second
auto showroom, 1436-1442 Locust), Walnut Tire–Globe Publishing Co. multi-tenant service stations, 1417
Walnut Street, and Mack–International Motor Truck Corp., 121 12th St. In addition, two factory complexes on
Walnut Street at 15th Street have been rehabilitated and listed on the NRHP: F. W. Fitch Company Historic
District, 300-306 15th and 1510-1526 Walnut streets and Crane Building, 1440 Walnut Street.
NPS Form 10-900-a OMB No. 1024-0018
(8-86)


Continuation Sheet
9. Major Bibliographical Sources

Newspaper articles and letters as cited in text plus:
Abstract of Title, 1723 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, Lot 1 in Lowell Chamberlain’s Addition.
Berger, Michael L. The Automobile in American History and Culture: A Reference Guide. Greenwood Press,
Westport, Connecticut: 2001.
Brigham, Johnson. Des Moines, The Pioneer of Municipal Progress and Reform of the Middle West,
together with the history of Polk County, Iowa, the largest, most populous and most prosperous county in
the state of Iowa, Vol. 1. Chicago, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1911.
Census, federal 1930 and 1940. <Available online at Ancestry.com>
City of Des Moines. Building Permit Log, listing permits issued (the actual permits no longer exist).
Microfiche file at City of Des Moines.
City of Des Moines city directories. Various years. Des Moines Public Library. (City directory)
Gue, Benjamin F. History of Iowa from the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century,
Volume 4. New York City: The Century History Company: 1903.
Jacobsen, James E., with John Zeller. “Des Moines’ First ‘West End’ and Its Transition from Residential
Neighborhood to Auto Row, from a Commercial District to the Western Gateway.” Architectural and
Historical Report, prepared for the City of Des Moines. 2000.
Jakle, John A. and Keith A. Sculle. America’s Main Street Hotels: Transiency and Community in the Early
Auto Age. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2009.
Jensen, Bill. Informant interview with the former owner of Bill Jensen’s Crescent Chevrolet, regarding Auto
Row architecture and businesses from 1949 to present, representing his tenure in the Des Moines auto
industry. March 25, 2013.
Kostura, William. “Van Ness Auto Row Support Structures: A Survey of Automobile-Related Buildings along
the Van Ness Avenue Corridor.” For San Francisco Department of City Planning, 2010. Available from the
California Office of Historic Preservation,
http://ohp.parks.ca.gov/pages/1054/files/van%20ness%20auto%20row.pdf.
Liebs, Chester H. Main Street to Miracle Mile: American Roadside Architecture. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins
University Press, 1995.
Long, Barbara Beving and Des Moines Plan & Zoning Commission. “Des Moines, Center of Iowa: Survey of
NPS Form 10-900-a OMB No. 1024-0018
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Continuation Sheet
Historic Sites.” Architectural and Historical Report, prepared for and by the City of Des Moines. 1983. (Long
1983)
Long, Barbara Beving. “The Architectural Legacy of Proudfoot & Bird in Iowa, 1882-1940.” Multiple Property
Listing Documentation Form for the National Register of Historic Places, available from the Iowa State
Historic Preservation Office. 1988. (Long 1988)
Longstreth, Richard W. The Buildings of Main Street: A Guide to American Commercial Architecture. Walnut
Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 2000.
Polk County Assessor’s Office. Property tax records, available online.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps: 1884, 1891, 1901, 1920, 1950, 1956-1957, and 1965 consulted. All but 1965
available from the State of Iowa Library; 1965 available from City of Des Moines.
U.S. Census and State of Iowa Census data [database on-line]. Ancestry.com.
NPS Form 10-900-a OMB No. 1024-0018
(8-86)


Continuation Sheet
10. Geographical Data
Verbal Boundary Description

The Argonne Building is located at 1723 Grand Avenue (1723-1733 Grand Avenue), constructed on Lot 1,
Lowell Chamberlain’s Addition to Des Moines.
Boundary Justification
The boundary includes the building on its original parcel historically associated with the Argonne Building.
NPS Form 10-900-a OMB No. 1024-0018
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Continuation Sheet
Section Photos Page 31 Property name The Argonne Building
Sketch map and photo key, 2017
See attached photo key
Photographs
Photo Log
The Argonne Building, Polk County, Iowa.
All photographs taken 2017, by Jennifer James, Jennifer James Communications, LC, Des Moines, Iowa.
A CD-ROM of all images will be on file with the property owner and the Iowa State Historic Preservation
Office.

Nomination Form For The Argonne On National Register of Historic Places

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Nomination Form For The Argonne On National Register of Historic Places

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NPS Form 10-900 OMB No.

United States Department of the Interior

National Register of Historic Places

3. State/Federal Agency Certification

Signature of certifying official Date

State Historical Society of Iowa

Signature of commenting or other official Date

4. National Park Service Certification

entered in the National Register

removed from the National Register

Ownership of Property Category of Property Number of Resources within Property

private building(s) Contributing Noncontributing

Historic Functions Current Functions

DOMESTIC: multifamily VACANT/NOT IN USE

Architectural Classification Materials

LATE 19th & 20th CENTURY REVIVALS foundation CONCRETE

B Property is associated with the lives of

C Property embodies the distinctive characteristics

D Property has yielded, or is likely to yield Significant Dates

B removed from its original location. Cultural Affiliation

E a reconstructed building, object, or structure.

G less than 50 years of age or achieved

Narrative Statement of Significance

9. Major Bibliographical References

Previous documentation on file (NPS) Primary Location of Additional Data:

10. Geographical Data

Acreage of Property less than 1 acre

Latitude Longitude Latitude Longitude

11. Form Prepared By

name/title Jennifer Irsfeld James, MAHP date November 2017

organization Jennifer James Communications phone 515-250-7196

street & number 4209 Kingman Blvd. email jenjames123@gmail.com

city or town Des Moines state IA zip code 50311

Photographs: Representative black-and white-photographs of the property.

name Joseph Cordaro, Jarcor, LLC

city or town West Des Moines state IA zip code 50312

United States Department of the Interior

National Register of Historic Places

County and State Polk, IA

United States Department of the Interior

National Register of Historic Places

County and State Polk, IA

United States Department of the Interior

National Register of Historic Places

County and State Polk, IA

United States Department of the Interior

National Register of Historic Places

County and State Polk, IA

United States Department of the Interior

National Register of Historic Places

County and State Polk, IA

United States Department of the Interior

National Register of Historic Places

County and State Polk, IA

United States Department of the Interior

National Register of Historic Places

County and State Polk, IA

United States Department of the Interior

National Register of Historic Places

County and State Polk, IA

United States Department of the Interior

National Register of Historic Places

County and State Polk, IA