Hubbell Realty Co. will take an out-of-commission Iowa county bridge and repurpose it as public art as part of a 16-acre urban neighborhood that will bring 500 housing units to an area of Des Moines once occupied by offices and warehouses and, way back when, ice houses and liveries.
 

Appropriately titled the Bridge District, the area is located east of the Des Moines River at the foot of the Iowa Women of Achievement Bridge on the Principal Riverwalk.

Some details about the development have filtered out as they were presented to the Des Moines Plan and Zoning Commission. Read more

Hubbell will build out the project in phases. During a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, the company unveiled a piece of public art for the district – a former Boone County bridge that the company said will be “wrapped with new technology, a canopy, lighting and imagery to create an iconic destination for residents and those passing by.”

Phase one consists of market-rate apartments and for-sale townhomes.

Verve @ Bridge District is a $19.9 million buildout of 128 market-rate apartments with a community room overlooking the Des Moines River, a workout facility, a business center and parking for bicycles.

The Banks @ Bridge District is a nearly $16 million project with 40 to 50 town homes with garages and rooftop patios that will sell for around $400,000 and range in size from 1,800 to 3,300 square feet.