Barn update

Posted on October 17, 2012 by save the barn
Maplenol Dairy Barn

from Google Maps

Since the barn moved over a year ago, a few times a month, some messages like this come in through the contact form, email, or the Facebook page:

Can you update me on the barn? I know it’s location, but who owns it and what is the intended purpose? Thanks!

What we know:

Julia has requested statements of Valley Church staff since July 1, 2011 by phone and email. No response seems to be the response. She usually sends inquirers the Valley Church contact info, but no one has reported back that they got through to someone. Leave a comment here if you were able to get church staff to respond!

The district sold a public property, the Maplenol Dairy Barn, to a private party. Valley Church owns it and intends to use it for equipment storage with its Upward Sports programming (as of June 2011). From the School Board minutes, we can read the statement that Brennan read aloud for details. (If you read the minutes, remember that they are minutes, not a professionally-edited storybook. Scroll down to Item VIII.) Supplemental statements from the church (and every non-district entity) about the barn have not appeared online, but most likely still exist somewhere in hardcopy. An excerpt from Brennan on the current owner and use of the Maplenol Dairy Barn:

The Valley Church has the land, the use and the funds to use this building. While its use as a storage site may not be what some have envisioned for the barn, it is still going to be put to use, it will still be in the community and it will have a home.

The piece that you’ll probably find many Maplenol barn lovers disappointed about is that Brennan’s “in the community” is not the same as “available to the public.” All historic preservationists have congratulated barn lovers as being “winners” in the Save the Barn campaign –

    • The barn was not demolished
    • The barn is still in West Des Moines (probably what Brennan meant)
    • It’s (barely) visible from the street
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Why Certified Local Government?

Posted on May 28, 2012 by julia

I asked Steve Wilke-Shapiro to write a little something about West Des Moines becoming a Certified Local Government (CLG) and what it could mean for property owners. Holly arranged a meeting with him over a year ago, back when the barn was still at 39th and Ashworth and we were looking for opinions on how to save it. After reading his thoughts here, I feel hopeful about what CLG could do for West Des Moines (perfectly positioned!) Thanks for reading.

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From a professional perspective, it is exciting to see West Des Moines start down the path of becoming a Certified Local Government (CLG).  The CLG program, administered by the State Historic Preservation Office at the state level, generates direct tangible benefits to historic communities as well as promoting general public engagement in preservation.

The act of becoming a Certified Local Goverment entity brings with it both opportunity and likely a bit of trepidation as well.  There is responsibility for building a local preservation infrastructure – institution of a historic preservation commission (supported by a local ordinance), commitment to identification of the City’s historic resources, working towards preservation of those resources, and inclusion of the public in preservation discussion.  This structure encourages preservation-oriented partnerships between local communities, statewide preservation organizations, and the National Park Service.

In concept, it represents the embracing of a new role.  It is a meaningful step in the evolution of a community as it acknowledges local responsibility of caring for its older neighborhoods and buildings.

In practical terms, CLG designation creates opportunities for technical assistance, preservation training, and potential grant funding to underwrite local preservation acitivites.  As a CLG, for example, the City of Des Moines has partnered with neighborhoods to complete major preservation studies and documentation of historic resources.  This work has helped to build a strong and growing web of historic districts with the ability to leverage additional investment in renovation through Historic Tax Credits.

As a city with historic roots and several areas potentially eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, West Des Moines is well-poised to utilize its future CLG status as a tool for revitalization and preservation.

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Steve Wilke-Shapiro
Steve Wilke-Shapiro

About Steve Wilke-Shapiro

When I’m not working with homeowners on renovation design and preservation consulting at my day job, I’m renovating my own house and co-organizing the Des Moines Rehabbers Club.  The club’s mission is to promote neighborhood revitalization and restoration of Des Moines’ unique building stock by informing, educating, inspiring, and supporting each other in all phases of home renovation and maintenance.

To learn more, visit at his online presences:

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CLG Public Info meeting — NEW DATE 6 – 19 – 2012

Posted on May 21, 2012 by julia

Looks like the time and place are the same, just a new date. Details are here at this link. This gives us more time to get people interested and attending. I certainly encourage you to print this and give it to someone living in an older house, 50 years and older.

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TAN Report analyzed

Posted on May 21, 2012 by julia

I’ve read the TAN report and shared it with the FMB board. Boiling it down, here’s a bullet point version for you:

1. We have stuff from the Save the Barn Campaign. We’re calling it “a collection.” We’re going to archive all of it with acid-free storage materials as directed by our technical advisor.

2. We are in the process of formally acquiring other stuff, stuff related to the barn and its founding family, the Goods. You may have seen a few Facebook photos. If Friends of the Maplenol Barn is unable to own and preserve these items, we hope to make replicas.

3. In order to display our collection, we’ll need to do some homework. We’d like to share the collection with everyone, because without everyone’s Facebook “likes” and signatures, we wouldn’t have acquired these historic materials. As this bullet point gets more attention and develops, I’ll write about it here.

That’s it! The report was very short and focused on our goals of 1) safely storing our collection and 2) making an exhibit for public display. Thanks for reading!

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