Downloads and Data

The following files are available for download and research use. If you use this data for a personal, educational, or professional research project, please let us know - We would love to hear how it is being used, and possibly publish your work on this website!

Final Report

An incredible amount of work went into creating this report - it documents the historic contexts under which the neighborhood developed as well as the architectural significance of the buildings throughout the neighborhood.

DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE FINAL HISTORIC SURVEY REPORT HERE

The research project utilized a comprehensive approach that sought to document all buildings within the survey area. Consequently an all-building permit database and a historical photo set that included
700-1,000 photos was amassed. The building permit data was used to separate out the many overlapping house-based historical contexts. This separation involved distinguishing pre-Drake University residences, early
Drake-induced residences (many of which started out in a lesser scale, but were then enlarged over time), and modified residences (as apartments or Greek social system residences).

Drake Neighborhood Data

• Drake Neighborhood Housing Starts (Word Document) - including building name and architect when available, through 1972. From City building permits and periodical sources.
• Lost Houses (Excel Spreadsheet) - Drake neighborhood homes and buildings that have been demolished over the years. This document is sortable by street and house number

Drake Neighborhood Historic Building Permits

The following scans were compiled from microfilm records at the Des Moines Permit and Development department. This is a summary of building permit records because the originals no longer exist. Information in these files includes date of permit, owner, valuation, and original permit fee paid. They are sorted by date within each street, so to find a specific address, you will have to scan through the appropriate street file. It will also help to know the lot and subdivision in case the address is illegible. If you do not see your street listed here, contact the project administrator to see if yours is still waiting to be scanned.

• 21st Street [1917-1948] [1949-1961]
• 22nd Street [1922-1945] [1947-1961]
• 20th St. Place [1919-1950]
• 23rd Street [1917-1928] [1929-1946] [1946-1956] [1957-1978]
• 24th Street [1917-1929] [1929-1948] [1949-1961]
• 24th St. Place [1923-1956]
• 25th Street [1917-1939] [1939-1961]
• 26th Street [1917-1928] [1929-1947] [1947-1961]
• 27th Street [1917-1936] [1936-1949] [1949-1961]
• 28th Street [1917-1943] [1943-1961]
• 31st Street [1917-1936] [1936-1961]
• 42nd Street [1917-1927] [1927-1939] [1940-1953] [1953-1961]
• Brattleboro Avenue [1918-1961]
• Carpenter Avenue [1917-1948] [1948-1961]
• Cottage Grove Avenue [1917-1939] [1939-1961]
• Forest Avenue [1917-1928] [1928-1942] [1942-1950] [1950-1959] [1959-1964]
• Forest Dale Drive [1917-1957]
• Iola Street [1917-1960]
• Plainview Drive [1917-1956]
• Rutland Avenue [1922-1961]
• School Street [1907-1948] [1948-1959]

Personal Histories

Oral and written accounts of life in the Drake neighborhood.

• Donald Wine - Transcript of an oral history interview about life at Drake University in the early 1940s, conducted by a Drake University student in 2010.