Des Moines, IA (August 28, 2018) – Hubbell Realty Company and local architectural historian Jennifer James have been presented the 2018 Preservation at Its Best Award for Adaptive Reuse from Preservation Iowa for the historical work done on Station 121, an apartment community in downtown Des Moines.
Prior to Hubbell converting the space into 26 unique apartment homes, this brick building was home to many iconic downtown companies and most commonly known as the Lovejoy Building. The most well-known owner was the Mack International Motor Truck Corporation, which opened its’ doors in the early 1900’s to repair and construct automobiles along Des Moines’ Auto Row. This included large show room windows, concrete floors and most notable, ceilings supported by exposed bridge trusses. Following Mack Truck, the site belonged to the Walsmith Printing Company, the Democratic Party as well as a home for local musicians, like The Nada’s, to record albums.
“The Preservation Iowa award recognizes not only Hubbell’s dedication but Jennifer’s attention to detail and careful architectural adaptation of this 1924 former Mack Truck dealership,” said Kris Saddoris, Vice President of Development for Hubbell.
Jennifer James, an architectural historian, spent months documenting the findings before and during construction. She thoroughly documented historical pieces and helped preserve many items like safes, original windows and window trim, bridge truss exposure and more. Architect Russ Bitterman, of ID8 Architects PLC, paid careful attention to each historic detail to craft 26 individual apartment units around the historical features.
“Understanding the rich history of the building assisted the architectural and construction teams with crafting a project that retained character-defining architectural features that help tell the story of how the building was first used. It was so much fun to work with Hubbell on this project,” said James.
Station 121 is located at 12th and Mulberry Street in downtown Des Moines.
