The Butler Mansion, a Des Moines landmark from the 1930s, has opened its doors as the new home of the Italian American Cultural Center of Iowa. The $20 million renovation turns the Streamline Moderne-style house into a museum, event venue, classroom space and overnight stay all in one. For an organization that has spent decades looking for a permanent address, the opening is a long-awaited finish line.
According to Radio Iowa, the center has operated for 45 years and sought a permanent home for at least 25 of them, per board chair Jeff Lamberti. The center purchased the mansion, which Radio Iowa reports has seven floors, and it now serves as the organization's headquarters. The center's website is iaccofia.org.
The project's roots stretch back even further than the purchase. The Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa bought the property in December 2020 for $3.3 million, the Des Moines Register reported. KCCI relayed the sentiment behind the effort in a single line: “It’s been a work in progress for 25 years.”
A 1937 Showpiece Gets a Second Act
The mansion was built between 1935 and 1937 in a style the architecture magazines called Streamlined Moderne, according to Business Record. The house sits at 2633 Fleur Drive in Des Moines. Lamberti told Radio Iowa that when it opened, the home was called the most modern in America.
The 1937 details he described still sound futuristic. The house had three garages with automatic door openers that could be triggered by flashing headlights one, two or three times, along with central air, central heat and an intercom system throughout. Jeff Lamberti told KDSM, “We were able to bring back what it was in 1937.”
Reports differ on the building's size. Radio Iowa and the Des Moines Register describe it as 42,000 square feet, while Business Record puts the property at approximately 44,000 square feet, including additions to the original 13,000-square-foot residence.
Museum, Ballroom and Cooking Classroom
About half of the museum space will be devoted to the Italian story in Iowa. As Lamberti put it to KCCI, “about half of our museum space is going to tell the Iowa story. Why did Italians come to Iowa? What did they do?” Radio Iowa adds that the exhibits will cover immigrants' jobs and their civic and business leadership, and that the center hopes to bring in traveling exhibits.
According to Radio Iowa, the exhibit space was built to Smithsonian standards, with climate, humidity and light control. The Des Moines Register reported that the new space should allow rotating displays of artifacts and traveling exhibits from around the country. Beyond the museum, the center plans a store stocked with distinctive Italian goods not generally found in Iowa, Radio Iowa said.
The building is also meant to host crowds. KDSM reports that the two-story ballroom can accommodate up to 500 people, and the center includes a custom-designed cooking classroom, space for dance classes and a summer camp for kids. Per Radio Iowa, the center also offers language classes and holds events tied to significant dates and events in Italian history.
Suites, a Speakeasy and Space for Weddings
Overnight guests are part of the plan too, as KCCI notes that the mansion offers four luxury suites. Radio Iowa reports the suites will serve as Airbnb accommodations when they are not being used for weddings, and the center will provide space for weddings and other events.
The Des Moines Register detailed where the renovation money was headed, with about $15 million going toward amenities such as a market, a speakeasy-style bar, a cafe, offices and study spaces for students. Those are the pieces that turn a heritage museum into a place people might visit more than once.
Why Italians Landed on Des Moines' South Side
The center's storytelling mission has deep local roots. Teaching Iowa History notes that the first decade of the 20th century saw a jump in Iowans born in Italy, from 1,200 to 5,850. The same source says the south side of Des Moines developed a strong Italian community, and that Italians were among the first of the new wave of immigrants to reach Iowa.
Getting the mansion ready also meant a trip through City Hall. The Des Moines Plan and Zoning Commission voted on Feb. 6 to move forward a staff recommendation approving a Planned Unit Development amendment for the property, Citizen Portal reported. The proposal described building additions, a single-story bocce pavilion, expanded program uses and site improvements.
