Gargoyles, Grotesques and Gnomes

by Bryon Houlgrave

Look up next time you’re in downtown Des Moines. Some of the city’s oldest buildings contain some pretty strange fixtures. Gargoyles, grotesques and gnomes are all featured in the architecture of several Des Moines structures.

Be not worried, however; folklore suggests that these Gothic fixtures are meant to protect and serve as a sentry to the occupants of these fine buildings. 

According to architect Kate Arnest of Urbandale, who studied architecture in Rome, gargoyles were used primarily in Gothic architecture.

“I think some of them were just ornamental and were believed to keep away evil spirits,” Arnest said. “But I also think some were functional. They were attached to the gutter system to drain water off the roof.”

Looking down on Locust Street from the top of the Des Lux Hotel, nine stone creatures that resemble winged lions peer over the cornice line from near the top of the five-story structure. The building was built in 1913 by the architecture firm of Proudfoot Bird and Rawson. 

Before it became an upscale urban hotel, the building was used as the Des Moines Club. In the late 1980s the building was gutted to make way for office space but after the deal fell through the building remained vacant until 2000 when Des Moines real estate developer Bob Knapp had a vision to turn the dusty five-story birdhouse into a luxury hotel. Knapp spent around $10 million to have it remodeled into a 51-room hotel and in 2000 The Suites of 800 Locust were opened.

In 2013, Rebound Hospitality from Minnesota bought the hotel and invested half a million dollars into improvements. The new owners not only opted to keep the gargoyles but to incorporate them into part of the hotel’s brand. The brass handles of the front entryway doors feature twin gargoyle fixtures at the top of each handle, mouths drawn open in ferocious snarls, roaring at evil spirits that dare follow guests inside.

For guests, the gargoyles have been excellent conversation starters.

“People just love them,” said Sandy Poundstone, sales director at Des Lux, adding that often walking tours will pass by and she’ll see people gazing up at the gargoyles. 

Proudfoot and Bird were the architects behind many of Des Moines’ oldest and more prominent buildings, and more than a few of those buildings feature gothic countenances. 

The Polk County Courthouse has 28 grotesques carved into the building along the second-story windows with expressions ranging from jovial and fun to stoic and stern and a few others that appear more threatening.

According to the Iowa Architectural Foundation, one of the grotesques is even said to have the likeness of George W. Bird.

“There is some mysterious history to them all that just kind of jumps out at you and says ‘look at me, I’ve got a story here,’” historic preservationist Jan Fleming of West Des Moines told Iowa PBS in an interview in 2001.

Fleming, who has written a book about them called Grotesques in Des Moines, said she is disappointed that very little is known about the stone masons who carved the faces into the Polk County Courthouse.

“The anonymity of these people I find very sad,” Fleming said in her 2001 interview. “It bothers me that the people around them didn’t find it important enough to document.”

Grotesques can also be found carved in the stone of the St. Ambrose Cathedral on High Street.

The Equitable Building, another Proudfoot and Bird-designed structure, features gnomes carved into the polished granite just above the second story windows. The gnomes appear to be holding up the weight-bearing pilasters of the 19-story building, once the tallest building in Iowa. The Equitable, voted one of the 50-best buildings in Iowa in the 20th Century, is currently an apartment building with 146 units.

There are creatures and fun little caricatures that can be found in many of the old buildings in Des Moines. So next time you’re on a walk in downtown Des Moines keep your eyes open and make sure to look up.

Interested in learning more about architecture throughout Iowa? Check out our Historic Buildings of Iowa programs, available for streaming on the PBS app!