The Des Moines Urban Design Review Board (UDRB) works to promote sensitive, lasting, and sustainable development – its charge is to advise the City Council on City planning efforts, projects receiving City subsidy such as Tax Increment Financing, and projects on City property. I have been serving on the UDRB since May 2018. Discussion at…
Des Moines Urban Design Review Board
As a member of the Des Moines Urban Design Review Board (UDRB) since April 2018, I work to promote sensitive, durable, and sustainable development – our charge is to advise the City Council on City planning efforts and projects receiving City subsidy. In this capacity, I have the opportunity to impact the early stages of…
State Nominations Review Committee (SNRC)
Each state historic preservation program (in Iowa, the State Historic Preservation Office in the Department of Cultural Affairs) is required to maintain a state review board. I have served as a member of the State Nominations Review Committee since 2017, meeting quarterly to Review National Register nominations and advise the SHPO on forwarding them to…
Preservation Iowa
As part of my involvement in the historic preservation community, I have served on the Board of Directors for Preservation Iowa since 2013. Preservation Iowa is a statewide non-profit historic preservation organization that promotes historic preservation efforts, educates communities about historic preservation, and connects people across the state to encourage effective action. http://preservationiowa.org
Wright-Style Renovation
This home, designed in the Frank Lloyd Wright “usonian” style, had not been updated in decades. The project involved restoration of the original stained concrete floor, updating the kitchen, restoring and adding a rail to the front porch, all new LED lighting throughout, and a new architecturally compatible screened porch on the back. The most…
Historic Brewery Addition
When Exile Brewing Company sought to expand production, they needed a large addition to their historic building – not an easy job to do within the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Rehabilitation! Because the original rehabilitation utilized historic tax credits, subsequent work was required to retain the building’s historic character.
Farmhouse Addition and Remodel
People do not live the same way today that they did 100 years ago when this colonial-style gambrel farmhouse was built. In this update with a master suite and kitchen addition, not a single square inch was left untouched! One of the key constraints was the directive that the addition should mesh seamlessly with the…
Mayor’s Task Force on Demolition and Historic Preservation
From 2014-2015 I served on the Mayor’s Task Force on Demolition and Historic Preservation. This citizen board was tasked with providing feedback to City staff and the City Council as they developed a “demolition review ordinance” for the City of Des Moines. Ultimately, the ordinance was adopted and provides some additional review and protection for identified…
Des Moines Rehabbers Club
The Des Moines Rehabbers Club is an organization whose mission is to promote revitalization in the City of Des Moines by encouraging, supporting, and promoting preservation and renovation. I am co-organizer and current Board Member. This group is loosely based on one I helped organize in St. Louis in the early ’00s. Originally started by…
Historic Tax Credits
Historic tax credits are valuable as a tool for both encouraging preservation of significant buildings and stimulating investment in distressed communities. I have given this presentation for neighborhood organizations in newly established historic districts, economic development groups, historic preservation commissions, and conferences. It covers the State and Federal historic tax credit programs (depending on the…