Retrofit Atlas

Industrial sites · Iowa

National Biscuit Company Building

Imported, unreviewedRedevelopedReinhabitedRetrofit builtDes Moines, IA

Retrofitted 1995 into 54-unit housing; no current development opportunity. · summary, model-written

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Site profile4 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Place
3+ other atlas sites within 10 kmThis site: 3 within 10 km computed · all sites with this
Strategy
RedevelopedThis site: 54-unit apartment building record · all sites with this
ReinhabitedThis site: 54-unit apartment building record · all sites with this
New use
HousingThis site: 54-unit apartment building newtypes-extraction · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

StatusRetrofit builtnewtypes-extraction reported
StrategyRedeveloped · ReinhabitedWikipedia no source
New useshousingWikipedia no source
What is there now54-unit apartment buildingnewtypes-extraction reported
Retrofit year1995newtypes-extraction reported

History and original facts

Opened1906newtypes-extraction reported
Original developerNational Biscuit Companynewtypes-extraction reported
AnchorsNational Biscuit Company, Boyt Harness Company, Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, Look magazine, Carpenter's Local #106
CountyPolk County
Census division4 · West North Central
NotesDraft from Wikipedia, model-extracted, unreviewed: The National Biscuit Company Building, originally a production and distribution facility, was converted into a 54-unit apartment building in 1995.

Not yet recorded: acres, GLA. Know it? Tell us.

Planning

No zoning change, subsidy or policy tool recorded for this site.

Before and after

Before: the mall

ArchitectWilliam F. Wilmouthquote

After: the retrofit

Housing units built54quote
ContractorBenson & Marxerquote

Hover "quote" to see the sentence each value came from. Planned figures are labelled planned. Method.

Site context

Housing permits, Polk County (IA), 2024540 units in 5+ unit buildings, 114 in 2–4, 2,295 single-family; 2023: 858 in 5+Census BPS
Other atlas sites nearby3 within 10 km, 4 within 25 km: Standard Glass and Paint Company Building (0.1 km); Kaleidoscope at the Hub (0.5 km); Southridge Mall (7.2 km)computed
Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW)30,016 jobs in 1,667 establishments; average annual pay $41,317; employment location quotient 0.96; employment -1.4% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private
Jobs located in the tract, 202244,323 jobs; 419 in retail trade, 2,269 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 19153005101)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022
Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract)children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 37th income percentile as adults; 2.8% incarcerated at the 2010 count (347 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights
Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract)not a low-access tract at 1 mile; 0% of residents more than 1 mile from a supermarket; poverty rate 17.9%; median family income $81,544; 635 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS
SchoolsDes Moines Independent Community School District (PK-12); 4 public schools within 1 mile: Downtown School; Edmunds Elementary School; Walnut Street School; Virtual CampusNCES EDGE
Elevation810 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP
Storm events in the county, 2016-2025686 county-logged events: 202 thunderstorm wind, 200 heavy rain, 162 hail, 40 flood; $94,129,700 property damage reported; 1 direct deaths; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events
Homes for sale in ZIP 50309, 2026-09median list price $328,675 (+14.9% on the year); 73 active listings; median 114 days on market; 16% with a price cutRealtor.com Research
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 20231,594 establishments (+4%); 33,537 jobs (+20%)Census CBP
Housing market in the countytypical home value $279,097 (+0% 1 yr, +19% 5 yr); typical rent $1,220/mo (+2% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)11,921 vehicles a day on WEST MLK JR PARKWAY, E (principal arterial, 6 lanes); 25 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS

Summary, model-written

Built 1906 as National Biscuit Company production/distribution facility. Retrofitted in 1995 into a 54-unit apartment building ("after_notes"). Status: built. Listed on National Register 2004. Current use: housing. Retrofit strategy: redevelop/reinhabit (already completed).

Why. Retrofit already built (opp_score 0.0). Housing market shows 19.4% 5-year ZHVI growth (2026-09 data). Located in downtown Des Moines cluster: 0.1km from Standard Glass building (built), 0.5km from demolished Kaleidoscope (2023). Polk County permits show 2024 construction of 2,295 single-family units.

Where it stands. No active development opportunity (retrofit complete). Housing demand supported by 19.4% 5-year ZHVI growth. Context: Downtown Des Moines, near operating Southridge Mall (7.2km).

For a planner

  • Downtown location, historic designation (2004)
  • Near existing housing projects (2024 permits: 2,295 units)

For a developer

  • No new retrofit opportunity (already converted)
  • Housing market growth noted but retrofit complete

What we do not know yet

  • No current vacancy rate or rent data
  • No details on building condition beyond 1995 retrofit
  • Traffic data shows high-volume arterial road (WEST MLK JR PARKWAY) but no pedestrian access metrics

Generated by qwen3-30b-a3b-64k:latest on Dell 5820 RTX 3090 (Ollama, qwen3-30b-a3b) from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.

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Multifamily screen

  • retrofit already built
  • county grew 4.9% 2018–23
  • housing in the record

Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.

Background

The National Biscuit Company Building, also known as National Biscuit Company Flats, is a historic building located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The heavy timber and masonry building was built in 1906. Only half of the planned building was completed, and the north half of the property was later sold. It initially served as a production and distribution facility for the National Biscuit Company. Architect William F. Wilmouth, who designed the company's buildings, is presumed to be the architect of this four-story Neoclassical building. Benson & Marxer served as the contractors. Des Moines was the third largest sales territory for the company.

Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.

Timeline

  1. 1906 Building built
  2. 1906 Opened
  3. 1940 Original tenant ceased use
  4. 1981 Acquired by Carpenter's Local #106
  5. 1995 Converted into apartment building
  6. 1995 Retrofit: redevelop, reinhabit
  7. 2004 Listed on National Register of Historic Places

Sources

  • National Biscuit Company Building (Des Moines, Iowa) · CC BY-SA 4.0
    6 quoted sentences
    The National Biscuit Company Building, also known as National Biscuit Company Flats
    The heavy timber and masonry building was built in 1906.
    The National Baking Company would use this building until 1940.
    Carpenter's Local #106 acquired the building in 1981 and used it for meetings and as a place to train apprentices.

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