Des Moines City Hall

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa (in case citations, S.D. Iowa) has jurisdiction over forty-seven of Iowa's ninety-nine counties. It is subject to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit). The United States District Court for the District of Iowa, established on March 3, 1845, by 5 Stat. 789, was subdivided into the current Northern and Southern Districts on July 20, 1882, by 22 Stat. 172. Initially, one judge was assigned to each District. By 1927, a backlog of unresolved cases dating back to 1920 had developed. In October 1927, Judge Martin Joseph Wade announced that he "was through" attempting to try cases requiring more than one day, but urged Congress to create a second judgeship for the Southern District of Iowa. On January 19, 1928, President Calvin Coolidge signed into law a bill that authorized a second judgeship for the District, with the proviso that when the existing judgeship (held by Judge Wade) becomes vacant, it shall not be filled unless authorized by Congress. When the original judgeship became vacant upon Wade's death in 1931, Congress did not act to reauthorize it, leaving the Southern District with a single judgeship. A second judgeship in the Southern District was not reauthorized by Congress until 1979, with the creation of the judgeship first held by Harold Duane Vietor.In 1962, Congress created a new judgeship that would be shared by the Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa. The shared judgeship was replaced in 1990 when the shared judgeship (then held by Judge Donald Eugene O'Brien) was assigned entirely to the Northern District, and a third Southern District judgeship (first held by Judge Ronald Earl Longstaff) was authorized.In 2012, Judge Stephanie Marie Rose was the first woman appointed to the bench in the Southern District of Iowa.It is headquartered at the United States Courthouse in Des Moines, with satellite facilities in Council Bluffs and at the United States Court House in Davenport. As of November 16, 2021, the United States Attorney is Richard D. Westphal.

The United States Courthouse, located in Des Moines, Iowa, is the headquarters for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. It is part of the Civic Center Historic District that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

The Old Downtown Des Moines Library is a historic building in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States that was built in 1903. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, and became a contributing property in the Civic Center Historic District in 1988. The building ceased to be a library in 2006 and now houses the Norman E. Borlaug | World Food Prize Hall of Laureates for the World Food Prize.

The Des Moines Coliseum was a building located in Des Moines, Iowa. Opened in 1908, it served as the main venue for large public events in Des Moines for four decades. Herbert Hoover launched his 1932 re-election campaign from the Coliseum, and several other U.S. Presidents spoke there, including Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, and William Howard Taft. Drake University played basketball in the Coliseum for a number of years, and it was used for wrestling, boxing, ice skating, and circus events. It was destroyed by fire on August 13, 1949. A YMCA was later built on the site, but that was torn down in 2015. In 2018 the site was acquired by the GSA to become the new courthouse for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.

The Court Avenue Bridge is an historic structure located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It became a contributing property in the Civic Center Historic District in 1988, and was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 15, 1998 as a part of the Highway Bridges of Iowa MPS.

Principal Riverwalk is a recreational park district along the banks of the Des Moines River in Des Moines, Iowa. After eight years of work, it was completed in January 2013. Funded by the city of Des Moines, Principal Financial and the Iowa state government, Principal Riverwalk features a 1.2 mile recreational trail connecting the east and west sides of downtown via two pedestrian bridges. Trails connect the Court Avenue District, CBD, East Village, Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, Iowa Events Center and Gray's Lake with other metro area recreational trails. A landscaped promenade along the street level connects the riverfront amphitheater and several plazas, including an outdoor ice skating rink and summertime fountain plaza. A series of civic gardens with sculptures are located near Des Moines City Hall. Meredith Corporation contributed $2 million to fund the Meredith Trail, a pathway connecting Gray's Lake with the MLK Trail via the George Washington Carver Bridge.

The Warfield, Pratt and Howell Company Warehouse is an historic building located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The building was built by wholesale grocer Warfield, Pratt and Howell Company. Wilson R. Warfield and John W. Howell moved their business to Des Moines in 1860 and moved to this location in 1884. William J. Pratt joined the partnership in 1897. The structure is a six-story commercial and office building that rises 93 feet (28 m) above the ground. The prominent Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot & Bird designed the building, and it is considered a good example of warehouse construction from the turn of the 20th century. It was completed in 1901 with an addition completed in 1909. It features load bearing brick piers, bearing walls, and wood column and girder technology on the interior. Other wholesale firms were housed in the building after 1935. It was part of a redeveloped district in the 1980s. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

The United States Post Office is an historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. It became a contributing property of the Civic Center Historic District when it was established in 1988. It now houses administrative offices for Polk County.

The Northwestern Hotel is an historic building located in the East Village of Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. In 2017 it was included as a contributing property in the East Des Moines Industrial Historic District.

Elliott Furniture Company is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It was built in 1891 in the Italianate style for Gustav Newlen, who was an undertaker and cabinet maker. Eight years later the Elliott family acquired the building and combined the two storefronts into a unified façade for the Elliott Anderson Furniture Company. The building was extensively renovated in 1936 with the installation of large display windows on both floors, undoing the 1899 renovations. Four years later saw another renovation with the addition of glazed brick and fluted Terra Cotta pilasters. This gave the building an Art Moderne appearance. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

The Des Moines Civic Center is a 2,744-seat performing arts center belonging to Des Moines Performing Arts located in Des Moines, Iowa. It has been Iowa's largest theater since it opened on June 10, 1979, and is used for concerts, Broadway shows, ballets, and other special events. The Civic Center building is also home to the 200-seat Stoner Theater, used for smaller theatrical shows and lectures, located on street level. Cowles Commons, formerly Nollen Plaza, is the one square block space located west of the Civic Center. Cowles Commons opened in June 2015, and hosts several events throughout the year.Together with the Stoner Theater, Cowles Commons, and the nearby Temple for Performing Arts, the Civic Center is part of the Des Moines Performing Arts.

Historic East Village is a commercial and residential neighborhood in central Des Moines, Iowa, United States, directly east of the Downtown Des Moines area. The neighborhood is bounded by Interstate 235 on the north, the Des Moines River on the west and south, and East 14th Street on the east. It also sits adjacent to the Historic Court District, which sits west across the Des Moines River. Part of the East Village forms a nationally recognized historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.Many state and municipal buildings exist within the East Village. These include the Iowa State Capitol complex (including the Iowa Supreme Court), the State of Iowa Historical Museum, and the Des Moines Botanical Gardens.