The Des Moines City Council will decide whether steps should be taken to try to preserve a 134-year-old building on the city’s east side or whether the structure’s owners be should be allowed to raze it, a city official said.

Last summer, the city declared the building at 2951 E. Walnut St. a public nuisance. In early March, the council authorized city staff to take the necessary legal steps either to get the building repaired or have it demolished.

The building’s owners have said they want to demolish the structure, which for 75 years was home to Fairground Hardware.

City staff members have determined that based on the building’s age, architectural significance and history, there is merit in considering designating the structure a local landmark, said Michael Ludwig, Des Moines’ deputy director of development services.

Still, he said, “The building is in horrible condition right now. The amount [of money] that will be required to restore that building is substantial.

“It has not been maintained for many, many, many years.”

The council will be asked at its meeting on April 4 to either refer the issue to the city’s Landmark Review Board for additional study on whether to designate the property as a local landmark or to allow the owners to tear down the two-story building, Ludwig said.

The city staff will include its recommendation in the council packet that will be available online for public review on April 1. Public comment will be allowed during the meeting, Ludwig said.

The 9,592-square-foot building was constructed around 1888 for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a fraternal organization that held its meetings in a hall on the second floor, according to a biography of the building. During the first part of the 1900s, a grocery and general merchandise store was located on the first floor of the building, according to a 2017 Des Moines Register article. A hardware store opened in the building in the 1940s.

Michael and Debra Robinson bought the hardware business in 1995 and the property in 1998. An investment group purchased the property in 2017 and intended to redevelop it. Instead, in 2020 the group sold the property to Rueter Farms Inc. and C&D’s Holdings LLC.

The property in 2021 was valued at $108,000, records show.

Related article:134-year-old building on Des Moines’ east side faces demolition after being designated a public nuisance by city officials