Local credit union buys Bauder’s Ice Cream property

https://www.businessrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/KathyBolten2024-e1711723664520.jpg

A Des Moines credit union has acquired property along Ingersoll Avenue that had been the home to a popular ice cream shop, Polk County real estate records show.

Financial Plus Credit Union, with four locations in the Des Moines area, paid 3800-3804 Ingersoll Ave LLC $1.42 million for property at 3800 and 3804 Ingersoll Ave. in Des Moines, records show.

For decades, the property had been home to Bauder Pharmacy, which included an ice cream counter and soda fountain. Carolyn Bauder, Iowa’s first female pharmacist, founded the store around 1916 in the Sherman Hill neighborhood. She moved the business to the Ingersoll location in the mid-1920s.

Bauder sold the business to Charles Graziano in the early 1960s. About eight years ago, his son, Mark Graziano, who operated the business, was convicted of distributing pills and evading taxes and served time in federal prison.

Kimberly Robertson, Mark’s sister, took over the business in 2016, renaming it Bauder’s Ice Cream. The shop, known for its peppermint ice cream sandwiches, closed “for the season” on Dec. 31, according to a Des Moines Register article.

(Robertson manages 3800-3804 Ingersoll Ave LLC.)

In April, Des Moines’ Plan and Zoning Commission approved a site plan to remodel the 3,932-square-foot building so it could be used as a credit union. A surface parking lot is planned on the west side of the building and a drive-thru ATM is expected to be installed on the site.

Financial Plus Credit Union has an office at 609 38th St., about one-half block north of the Bauder’s property. The Ingersoll property and the adjacent surface parking are valued at $439,100, according to the Polk County assessor.

The real estate transaction was recorded June 6.

Photo above: Property at 3800 and 3804 Ingersoll Ave. has been acquired by Financial Plus Credit Union. Photo courtesy of Google

https://www.businessrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/KathyBolten2024-e1711723664520.jpg

Kathy A. Bolten

Kathy A. Bolten is a senior staff writer at Business Record. She covers real estate and development, workforce development, education, banking and finance, and housing.

Email the writer