Historic Valley Junction Foundation
Like many communities in the Midwest, Valley Junction was founded as a railroad community. James Jordan is credited as the first settler and his home, Jordan House, stands as a reminder of his time in this community (also on the National Register of Historic Places).
Through the mid 1900s, this community was a rough and tumble place, with an active railroad area and strong residential/commercial area known as Historic Valley Junction. The roads were dirt; the sidewalks were wide wooden planks. The business core bustled with grocery stores, drug stores, clothing and mercantile, and yes, many saloons and 'places of ill repute'. Valley Junction was the place to be, but maybe not as much after dark.
This building is one of the strongest visible reminders of where the City of West Des Moines - known as Valley Junction until 1938 - began. This building was home to the fire department, city jail and the city council chambers; the location where you paid your water bill, visited the city clerk, and where many decisions were made that affected the future of this community.
Our organization has been a Main Street Iowa community since 1987, and we are proud to call this building our new office home, visitor center and public meeting/classroom space.
We have seen an outpouring of community support for preserving this structure, from residents, business owners and interested preservationists. In addition to the strong history of this building, one of our top priorities during renovation has been to reuse, recycle and repurpose as many materials as possible. Reusing windows as ceiling clouds, damaged outside doors as inside doors, reclaimed wood furniture, geothermal heating, green roof, solar PV panels, water usage and many other elements - our aim is to showcase the balance and possibilities between historic preservation and green sustainable elements.
The future is bright for Historic Valley Junction. We are now home to approximately 150 locally owned specialty stores, art galleries, restaurants and service businesses.
Historic City Hall is located in the heart of Historic Valley Junction. We welcome you to join us there!
The information provided on Community Challenge pages is provided "as is," and the National Trust for Historic Preservation does not make any representations, endorsements, or warranties (either expressed or implied) on any comments, reviews, or suggestions posted. Neither does the National Trust assume responsibility or liability for the same.
