Frame work is taking shape for 36 one- and two-bedroom apartments at Crane Artist Lofts, 1440 Walnut St., an historic building where toilets were manufactured in the early 20th century.

Koester Construction Company Inc. has been working since February on the $8 million project, which was one of several approved last year by the Iowa Finance Authority and the Des Moines City Council to add more rental units in the city.

The five-story building, with its imposing columns that add a reminder of nuanced architectural details that were added to even the most basic item of a building’s infrastructure, was purchased last year by a Minnesota investor for $775,000.

The owner, MDI Limited Partnership #86, launched an asbestos and lead remediation program prior to the start of the building’s rehabilitation.

Many historic elements will remain, including floor tiles that reveal where toilets were on display in a showroom, wood paneling and heavy-duty fire doors. A shipping scale also will be moved from the building’s basement, which will serve as a parking garage, and relocated elsewhere in the structure.

In addition to living units, Crane Artist Lofts will have display areas in corridors for art work, lobby space on the first and second floor, a pottery room with a kiln, a dance room, music room and computer lab.

A terrace will be constructed on the east side of the building. Concrete separates each floor, all of which have been serviced by a now-abandoned service elevator. It, too, is set for a rehab to ferry tenants from floor to floor.

The Des Moines City Council approved a $108,879 investment tax credit and $75,000 sales tax refund for the project. The Iowa Housing Finance Authority approved a $502,398 housing tax credit award.

Crane Artist Lofts will be a mixed-income property, with some units rented at market rates and others at restricted rates for individuals who meet income guidelines. Construction work should be completed in mid-November, with units ready for occupancy in December.

The project is one of several that will add 527 renovated or new apartment and townhouse units in the city at a total construction cost of about $84 million.