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Description
Amelia Morris along with Mary neiderbach and Pat Miners of the Historical Society of Des Moines gives as the ins and outs of City Hall as the Centennial (100yr ) is approaching.
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https://amara.org/v/C0tEV/
A
Happy
new
year,
I'm
Amelia
Morris
chief
communications
officer
for
the
City
of
Des
Moines,
welcome
to
City
talk.
100
years
ago
this
month,
the
Des
Moines
municipal
building
opened
its
doors
for
the
very
first
time,
and
a
new
city
government
went
to
work.
We
all
know
the
building
today
at
City
Hall
at
400,
robert
e
ray
drive.
This
building
was
built
between
1910
and
1912
when
it
opened
to
the
public.
In
january
of
1912,
the
building
was
named,
the
municipal
building,
which
is
carved
into
the
limestone
at
the
top
of
the
building.
A
A
The
district
was
a
series
of
government
buildings
to
line
both
sides
of
the
river
between
grand
avenue
and
court
avenue
in
1912,
the
municipal
building
government's
neighbors
included
the
des
moines
public
library,
which
is
now
the
World
Food
Prize,
and
it
also
included
the
US
Post
Office,
which
is
now
the
polk
county
administration
building
the
new
Locust
Street
bridge
had
just
opened
in
1909
when
you
enter
city
hall
from
the
riverfront.
One
of
the
first
things
that
you
will
notice
in
this
building
is
the
engraving
on
the
stone
wall.
A
C
Amelia,
if
you
remember
in
1905,
we
adopted
a
new
form
of
government,
which
was
the
Commission
form
of
government
in
1907
the
committee,
the
Commission
decided
that
they
would
build
a
new
city
hall,
so
in
1907
they
chose
the
firm
of
Proudfoot
and
bird
to
be
the
architects
for
that
city
hall.
In
the
interim,
there
were
some
things
that
happened,
so
we
didn't
actually
get
around
to
building
the
city
hall
until
about
nineteen,
oh
nine
and
hiring
an
architect
services.
C
At
that
time
there
were
some
new
commissioners
on
the
City
Council,
and
each
one
of
them
was
arguing
about
what
architects
should
be
hired
to
to
build
this
wonderful
building.
So
what
actually
happened
was
the
mayor
came
up
with
the
mayor
at
that
time
came
up
compromise
solution,
and
that
was
that
each
of
the
four
commissioners
choose
an
architectural
firm
to
work
on
City
Hall.
C
So
they
chose
to
be
called
associated
architects
and
then,
with
these
associated
architects,
were
the
firm
of
leaving
norsu,
Rasmussen
haledon
raphson,
whether
all
engaged
and
in
the
original
Proudfoot
and
bird.
Now
much
of
the
building
relied
on
the
original
documents
and
blueprints
that
were
developed
by
proud
that
bird
but
I'm
sure
there
were
some
changes
made
by
all
for
working
together,
and
that
was
probably
a
unique
time
in
Des.
D
A
C
They
are
still
very
active
in
Des,
Moines
and,
of
course,
nationwide.
They
do
a
lot
of
building
and
we
have
you
know
one
of
the
solid
things
about
their
buildings.
There's
their
last
they're
built
to
last
like
this
one,
and
so
we're
very
proud
to
have
them,
have
built
this
building
and
continue
to
be
one
of
the
hundred
year
old
or
century-old
businesses
in
Des,
Moines,
yeah.
A
C
You
have
to
remember
that
the
building
is
very
unchanged
in
many
ways,
but
we
have
to
accommodate
a
lot
of
additional
functions
in
City
Hall
hundred
years
later,
so
this
building
or
the
area
that
we're
in
right
now.
Obviously
this
action
center
was
not
here,
but
this
was
a
vestibule
for
people
to
come
into,
and
then
there
was
at
the
North
End
of
City
Hall,
where.
C
A
A
C
These
are
the
original
lights
for
City,
Hall
and
I.
Believe
there
is
one
hidden
under
that
fake
ceiling
under
there
too.
So
we
have
an
extra
one,
but
these
were
always
electric
because
of
course
the
building
was
completed
in
1912
and
we
had
electricity
in
the
downtown
by
that
time.
So
you
know
they're
quite
ornate.
The
building
itself
is
what
we
call
Bose
arts,
which
is
a
you
know,
has
a
concentration
of
detail
in
certain
areas.
So
you
would
see
the
detail.
Look.
C
D
A
C
A
A
C
Oak
and
it
is
quarter
sawn
like
white
oak
and
then
stained
and
doled
down.
So
the
finish
is
not
real
bold.
If
you
think
about
the
Arts
and
Crafts
movement,
Sandry
happening
go
stuff
Stickley,
some
of
the
other
things
about
1910
to
1912.
This
arts
and
crafts.
Very
simple,
molding
was
a
with
white
oka
course
was
very
popular
at
the
time
and.
C
A
C
Again,
it
was
leading
up
to
the
second
floor.
The
City
Council
gave
the
for
architects
the
associated
artists
that
we
talked
about,
22
mandates.
First
of
all,
that
the
building
be
large
enough
to
house
everything
except
the
fire
department
and
then,
secondly,
that
it
be
very
open
and
that's
what
you'll
see
is
we
walk
through
this
building?
How
open
everything
is
to
the
citizens?
It's
like
as
a
department
store
and
we
treat
our
residents
as
citizens
and.
C
A
C
Originally,
it
was
called
the
counting
room
because
all
money
was
conducted
in
that
area
and
people
were
able
to
see
it.
So
you
can
see
it
would
come
in
this
beautiful
vestibule
here
and
then
come
up
this
grand
stairway
and
again
all
of
this
is
marble.
This
is
all
marble.
I
do
not
believe
that
this
handrail
we've
made
some
accommodations
to
safety.
Yes,.
C
C
A
C
Is
very
grand
and
it
led
us
up
to
the
major
you
know
counting
room
as
we
talked
about.
There
are
two
of
them
there's
one
on
each,
so
we
have
a
lot
of
symmetry
here
as
we
go
up.
I
believe
that
this
is
copper
and
this
is
brass
and
then
top
of
it
is
brass.
So
you
had
a
two
color
mm-hmm
that
would
add
a
little
bit
to
it.
The
globe's
that
you
see
you
know
they
were
common
again
around
1910
1912.
Those
globes
are
very
similar.
What
we
had
on
the
court
Avenue
area,
that.
C
Bridge,
so
it
was
a
popular
type
of
light,
but
the
really
good
thing
about
it,
I
think,
is
that
the
City
Council
and
everyone
that
has
been
in
charge
over
at
city
government
over
the
years
has
maintained
these
and
so
that
we've
never
lost
them
nobody's
having
to
search
for
them
to
restore
the
building
beautiful
it
is.
It
is
truly
one.
A
C
Well:
million:
let's
walk
over
here
to
this
low
marble
counter
that
divides
the
hallway
from
where
people
would
have
worked.
Now
the
beauty
of
this.
In
and
again,
if
we
go
back
to
what
the
City
Council
told
people
are
told
the
architects,
what
to
design
was
that
every
work
is
done
totally
in
the
open.
So
you
couldn't
have
secret
city
council
meetings.
You
couldn't
have
a
power
broker
like
they
had
in
some
cities.
C
Yes
and
you
you
had
city
employees
working
behind
their
greeting
the
public,
and
you
know
all
their
work
was
out
in
the
open.
So
the
this
again
is
our
marble,
but
you'll
see
on
the
counter
itself.
This
gets
back
to
more
of
the
white
quarter-sawn
oak,
so
the
the
designs
of
them.
This
would
have
been
a
little
cheaper
material
and
also
easier
to
draw
on
to
write
on
so
forum
is
following
function
in
the
building.
I.
C
A
C
That
was
the
original
council
chambers
and
it
had
the
original
flooring
that
was
restored
when
I
first
started
with
the
city.
As
we
said
many
years
ago,
we
had
an
orange
carpet
on
the
floor
there
and
theater
type
seating
and
about
ten
years
ago,
I
believe
that
was
restored.
Some
repainted,
some
additional
soundproofing
put
in
so
that
you
could
open
up
the
floor
because
obviously
this
doesn't
do
is
the
sound.
Does
your
house
around
him.
A
C
Ceiling
itself
is
it's
like
15
and
a
half
feet
tall
up
to
about
the
top
part
of
those
windows
or
between
the
windows
there,
where
the
legend
is
and
then
it
goes
up
to
a
full
36
feet
from
where
we
are
standing.
So,
if
you
think
about
that,
that's
almost
three
stories
that
was
about
to
say
you
could
get
it
to.
C
F
A
C
C
C
C
A
Densely
on
and
the
stenciling
and
the
lighting
again,
the
lighting
theme
carries
out
well
Mary.
We
appreciate
the
tour
of
the
building,
it
is
a
beautiful
building,
it
is
open
to
the
public
and
we
do
encourage
everyone
to
come
out
and
see
it.
Most
of
you
are
familiar
with
what
you
see
inside
the
city,
council
chambers.
Of
course,
those
meetings
are
always
open.
A
The
early
leaders
in
Des
Moines
were
forward
thinkers
and
they
left
us
a
message
100
years
into
the
future.
At
the
beginning
of
construction
in
1910
city
leaders
placed
the
time
capsule
in
the
cornerstone
of
the
new
municipal
building.
Exactly
a
hundred
years
later,
there
was
a
big
celebration
here
at
City
Hall.
When
that
time,
capsule
was
open,
I'm.
F
F
Newspapers,
these
are
interesting
in
that
they
are
original
newspapers
from
nineteen
nine
I
say
they're
the
least
uncommon,
because
many
newspapers
in
state
of
Iowa
have
been
filmed
for
preservation,
so
we
do
have
copies
of
most
Iowa
newspapers.
This
is
the
evening
tribune
at
Des,
Moines,
Iowa,
jun,
13,
1910
I'll
just
hold
that
one
up,
but
we're
going
to
lay
most
of
them
over
here
to
the
side.
There's
a
list
that
was
published
at
the
time
of
what
went
into
the
sea
I'm
guessing.
This
is
a
Masonic
apron.
F
F
A
The
100
year
old
time
capsule
is
on
permanent
display
here
in
the
Great
Hall,
which
is
on
the
second
floor
of
City
Hall.
The
building
is
open
to
the
public
Monday
through
Friday
8am
to
5pm.
Now
my
next
guest
is
Pat
minor.
She
is
the
president
of
the
Des
Moines
Historical
Society,
and
she
keeps
a
close
eye
on
local
government
welcome
to
city
top.
Thank
you
thank
you
for
inviting
me
that,
first
of
all,
I'd
like
you
to
tell
our
viewers
a
little
bit
about
the
Des
Moines
Historical
Society,
okay,.
E
The
Des
Moines
historical
society
was
formed
about
three
years
ago,
starting
in
2009.
We've
had
over
a
hundred
and
twenty-five
members
will
have
our
next
meeting
in
January
and
we
need
a
quarterly.
Our
programs
are
open
to
the
public,
but
anyone
is
invited
to
attend
the
programs.
We
also
have
special
members-only
events,
visiting
historical
homes
or
or
other
nice
historical
places.
Now.
A
E
That
varies
each
quarters.
The
next
meeting
will
be
on
a
saturday
at
the
southside
library
on
the
21st,
but
we've
met
at
other
places
too
it
just.
We
wanted
to
show
that
we're
open
to
the
entire
city,
we're
not
just
focusing
on
one
area
of
history
or
one
area
of
the
city
we
want
to
get
out
and
about
and
invite
people
from
all
over.
Alright.
A
E
This
this
building
represents
a
certain
type
of
government
and
the
government
was
meant
to
be
a
transparent
and
open
to
the
public,
and
we
hear
a
lot
about
that
today
and
that's
why
we
have
things
like
the
counting
room
and
the
great
open
hall.
So
people
can
see
what
goes
on
in
our
in
our
government.
E
A
lot
of
ministers
and
other
people
began
to
complain
about
the
Whitechapel
district
that
it
seemed
like
the
women
were
being
kept
in
a
certain
area
of
the
town
and
as
long
as
they
didn't
go
outside
of
that
they
were
able
to
operate
outside
the
law.
So
that
was
part
of
the
reason
for
it
that
they
just
wanted
everything
open
to
the
public
and,
what's
odd,
is
later
on
in
the
1940s
the
same.
It's
a.
A
E
D
E
A
E
A
E
E
But
things
were
postponed,
things
were
went
on
the
way
they
had
planned
and
they
started
at
at
noon,
and
people
began
to
fill
up
this
building
about
it
noon,
but
they
started
that
the
old
city
hall
and
then
there
was
a
parade
that
left
the
old
city
hall
at
two
o'clock
and
and
then
walked
over
here.
I
do
have
a
quote
from
one
man
who
said
that
the
building
was
so
great
that
there
ought
to
be
a
hundred
dollar
fine
for
anyone
that
comes
over
here
without
a
shave
and
a
clean
collar.
A
E
A
E
Know
I
really
don't
as
far
as
that
goes,
I
know
that
the
building
did
used
to
face
the
river
the
river
and
that
that
was
originally
the
front
door
faced
the
river
not
the
way.
We
see
it
today
facing
the
east
side,
and
you
know
when
you
drive
through
there
and
you
come
up
this
building
and
thank
G.
It's
a
nice
building,
but
the
entrances
are
very
nice
and
that's
because
we're
going
in
the
back
door,
most
people.
A
E
Actually
had
taxis
on
the
river,
there
were
little
boats
called
taxis
that
they
would
take
people
around
the
river
and
that's
part
of
the
reason
that
we
have
the
Beaux
Arts,
and
this
is
concerned
when
the
Beaux
Arts
Building
said
laying
the
river
and
that's
why
we
like
to
keep
it
that
way,
because
it
was
meant
in
a
certain
style,
the
style
of
the
time
and
that's
why
actually,
the
the
library
face
the
river.
You
know
things
face
the
river
and
we're
kind
of
getting
back
to
that
today.
Well,.
E
A
Years
we've
held
our
name
high
and
had
a
really
great
community.
Well,
we
have
learned
a
lot
from
Pat
miners
and
the
Des
Moines
Historical
Society
and
local
history
buffs
about
the
beginning
of
the
construction
of
this
building.
Now
on
jun
14th
in
1910,
which
was
proclaimed
as
des
moines
day
by
the
city
council,
the
cornerstone
with
the
time
capsule
was
laid
and
sealed
in
the
north-east
corner
of
this
building.
Today,
that's
just
across
from
the
Brenton
skating
Plaza
laying
of
that
cornerstone
started
the
countdown
to
the
100-year
anniversary
that
were
celebrating
now.
A
B
D
D
Welcome,
ladies
gentlemen,
honored
guests
at
this
celebration
of
placing
the
cornerstone
for
this
Municipal
Building
I,
the
1910
mayor
of
Des
Moines,
do
hereby
proclaim
today
to
be
pointing
the
20th
century,
is
not
yet
ten
years
old,
but
has
already
earned
the
title
of
the
century
of
democracy.
Every.
E
E
D
People
are
learning
to
rule
cities,
states
and
nations.
Des
Moines
place
yourself
in
line
with
this
irresistible
tide
of
the
age
by
Framing
or
charter,
on
the
principle
of
the
right
of
the
people
to
rule
it's
vastly
important
that
people
exercise
this
right
wisely
with
the
constructionist
building.
It
is
right
to
ask:
should
the
people
be
for
the
city
or
the
city
be
for
the
people?
That
is
a
question
which
determines
the
success
or
failure.
The
people
Des
Moines
and
measuring
up
to
the
rural
expectations.
D
A
A
What
I
can
tell
you
is
that
whatever
the
final
list
of
contents
is
for
the
kind
capsule,
it
will
certainly
tell
the
future
generations
a
lot
about
the
great
community
we
have
built
so
you'll
have
to
stay
tuned
to
DM
TV
for
the
announcement
that
wraps
up
this
edition
of
city
talk.
I
hope
you
will
join
us
here
again
on
DM
TV
city,
cable,
channel.
Every
month
we
visit
a
different
Department
and
bring
you
new
information
about
our
community.
A
Today's
program
can
be
seen
again
during
the
replays
on
the
dates
and
times
now
listed
on
your
television
screen.
You
can
also
watch
us
online
go
to
ww,
DMV,
org
and
click
on
watch
live
d.
Mtv
is
provided
to
the
City
of
Des
Moines
by
Mediacom
Cable.
The
channel
is
in
the
digital
lineup
and
you
will
find
us
24
hours
a
day.
7
days
a
week
on
digital
channels,
86
and
97.1
for
more
information
visit
us
on
the
web.