The original Brick Capitol, left, housed the Iowa Legislature from 1858 to 1884. This photo was taken about two years later. |
Before the gold dome, a 'pile of bricks' |
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By Dave Elbert
When Iowa lawmakers return on Monday for the 91st General Assembly, they’ll gather under the famous gold dome that has dominated the city’s skyline for more than a century. But the legislature’s first home in Des Moines looked very different.
Des Moines’ original capitol was a notable step down from Iowa City’s beloved Old Capitol, now a centerpiece of the University of Iowa. If you count the church in Burlington that housed Iowa’s territorial government from 1838 to 1841 and the Iowa City statehouse that was used from 1841 to 1857, the first Des Moines capitol was the third official seat of the state government. |
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Its construction started in 1856 and continued a little more than a year before the three-story Brick Capitol opened a site south of the current statehouse. After it opened, in 1857, the new capitol was described alternately as “an indifferent pile of bricks” or a product of “taste and elegance,” according to newspaper reports Philip G. Hockett quoted in a 2001 article in Iowa Heritage Illustrated.
The “indifferent pile of bricks” description came from a newspaper in Iowa City, which, as Hocket noted, was about to lose the seat of state government and hardly an unbiased source. The more favorable opinion came from a newspaper in Burlington, site of the earlier territorial capitol. Either way, the building housed the state government for 26 years, from 1858 until the permanent golden-domed statehouse opened in 1884. Like its predecessor in Iowa City, the first Des Moines capitol originally had a dome. But the dome was too heavy and was soon removed because its weight cracked the walls. “Stabilizing rods were run through the building from east to west,” Hockett wrote, noting that at least one senator was injured in 1868 “when large chunks of plaster” fell during a committee meeting, “burying them in rubbish of mortar and lime.”
“Without the dome, the unassuming Brick Capitol could be, and was, mistaken for a schoolhouse or a hotel,” Hockett wrote. |
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A domed cupola crowns the Brick Capitol in this rendering from 1857. |
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Part of the problem was the building site, a marshy area east of the Des Moines River.
Ten years after its completion, the Brick Capitol was slowly sinking. To help, a crew jacked it up and added a fourth story at ground level, which made the building “thick-waisted and dumpy,” according to another source in Hockett’s research. Construction for the current capitol began in 1871 and lasted more than 13 years.
By 1886, the government had abandoned the brick building, “which went on offering covering to anyone or anything,” Hockett wrote. “Bats and owls roosted in it. Children played on the staircases. … The homeless day and night drifted in and out.
“They came to use the toilets, but no one bothered to drain the privy vaults or fill them in; eventually the odor became unbearable, and in May 1889, after numerous complaints, the city of Des Moines ordered the state to clean up the mess.” After an 1892 fire gutted the building, a long-awaited Soldiers and Sailors Monument was erected on the site of the Brick Capitol. In 1984, the site was marked by a concrete plaque and time capsule that is to be opened in 2084.
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A plaque at the site of the Brick Capitol quotes the Rev. John Kasson's address during the 1884 dedication of the current statehouse: "Our first prayer beneath this high dome is that here the moral and political foundations of this imperial state may be so deeply and wisely laid that remote generations shall recall and celebrate the wisdom and virtues of their ancestors." A time capsule lies below, to be opened in 2084. |
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Dave Elbert has covered local history and business news for more than 40 years, first for the Des Moines Register and then the Business Record. Find more of Elbert's Backstories at dsmmagazine.com.
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Jeff Fleming's "Milky Way #13," acrylic on canvas. (Courtesy of Moberg Gallery) |
'The Milky Way' at Moberg |
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A new exhibition opens with a big bang this Friday at Moberg Gallery. In former Des Moines Art Center director Jeff Fleming’s latest series, “The Milky Way,” his layered drawings of the starlit sky preserve his memories of childhood walks in his native North Carolina as well as more universal notions of the small role humans play in the great beyond.
Fleming earned an MFA from the Pratt Institute and held positions at the Metro Opera Association and Smithsonian Institution before he landed at the Art Center, where he worked until 2023. The opening reception is set for 5-8 p.m. The show remains through early February. |
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Heather Matarazzo, 6 p.m. Thursday, Temple Theater. The actress from "The Princess Diaries" and the Netflix series "Wednesday" takes a turn in the Capital City Pride speaker series.
“Red Riding Hood,” opening 7 p.m. Friday, Des Moines Playhouse. Think you know what happens? Think again. In this version, which runs through Jan. 25, Wolfgang the wolf sets the record straight.
Amythyst Kiah, 7 p.m. Friday, Temple Theater. The singer-songwriter fuses everything from rootsy Americana to Asian spiritual traditions in her latest album, “Still + Bright,” which she recorded in Nashville with producer Butch Walker (who’s worked with Taylor Swift, Green Day and Weezer).
Dome After Dark, 6-10 p.m. Friday, Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. Breathe in all that lovely, humid oxygenated air every Friday through March 27, before honest-to-goodness spring returns to Iowa.
Social Saturday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Des Moines Art Center. Choose your own artistic adventure during a new series on the second Saturday of each month. At this month’s event, inspired by a cozy snow day, guests can enjoy hot chocolate in the cafe, make a snowman print in the studios, take a guided tour and watch a film (at noon) about the influential abstract painter Hilma af Klint.
History of the Flynn Farm, 2 p.m. Sunday, Olmsted-Urban House. The Urbandale Historical Society hosts Elizabeth Keest Sedrel from Living History Farms to tell the story of the Irish-American Flynn family, who built the Farms' landmark mansion.
“Six,” opening 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Des Moines Civic Center. The six ill-fated wives of Henry VIII return to tell (sing) their side of the story in the catchy pop-rock musical’s national tour, which stays in town through Jan. 18. |
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Gua sha goals: If your New Year’s resolutions involve skincare, try learning the gua sha method. The technique with roots in Eastern medicine helps increase circulation and reduce puffiness. Eden is hosting a gua sha workshop Jan. 16 with demos, giveaways and Champagne. |
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Community voices: Our sibling publication Business Record is conducting its annual Fearless survey on the status of gender equity in Iowa. The results will shed light on the opinions and experiences women have across Iowa in and outside of work. People of all gender identities are encouraged to weigh in by Jan. 30
Pitch, please: The West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce is accepting applications through Feb. 9 for this year’s Athene Beyond Boundaries Business Summit Pitch Competition. The competition will culminate April 14-15 during the annual Beyond Boundaries Business Summit for entrepreneurs, investors and experts from across the country. |
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Grand prize: Dutch artist Leon Keer's new mural "Nature's Algorithm," at 901 Grand Ave., landed among a list of the world's best street art in 2025. The British gallery GraffitiStreet included the augmented-reality mural in in its top 12 international installations of "Street Art with More Impact" and praised it for transforming a parking ramp with "a monument to attention in an age of distraction." (Photo: Brittany Brooke Crow)
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Photos from Kindred Auras suggest no two auras are exactly alike. (Photo: Duane Tinkey) |
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Halo effect: Upgrade your event with Kindred Auras |
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By Hailey Evans
dsm Associate Editor
We all love a good photobooth moment. At gatherings like weddings, birthdays, even your high school reunion, photobooths create instant physical mementos for your crowd to take home, stick to cork boards, inside phone cases or on fridges. There’s less pressure to be posed and put together, so even the camera-shy can get a kick out of them. Grab your group, pick a prop, repeat.
But what if you’re getting bored of the basic photobooth song-and-dance? Enter: the aura photo. Heather Ann Roe, owner of KIN DSM, uses her aura camera to take portraits of singles and groups in her East Village mystic shop, under the brand Kindred Auras. She recently added a mobile service, renting out the camera for events and parties.
In order for the auras to be visible on film, Roe’s Polaroid camera is hooked up to the AuraCamera 6000 system, which includes two metal hand plates connected to the apparatus modifying the camera. Guests place their hands on the metal sensors to measure biofeedback and possibly their electromagnetic fields — the company doesn’t explain many details about their proprietary technology — and the camera captures their personal auras on film. The whole process takes about 15 seconds. But these Polaroids aren’t your typical snap-and-go affair. The real fun begins as your film develops, revealing layers of colors floating around your head. When it’s fully developed, Roe or a team member explain what your colors say about your energy.
As part of the service, you get your picture to take home along with a handy reference sheet that explains the different colors. Pictures can be taken single or with a buddy, to show how auras mingle and influence each other.
Depending on the type of event, the amount of interpretation can vary. If a lot of people are waiting their turn, the Kindred Auras team might just hit the basics. But “I’ll always do more in-depth evaluations if there’s time or people are curious,” Roe said. “It’s always the skeptics, the people who get dragged into it with their friends, who afterward are like, ‘I’m really glad I did this.’”
One pair of brides hired Kindred Auras as a fun activity for guests during their backyard wedding, where they pinned up the aura photos on a large easel display for everyone to admire. “It became like a mingling place for the guests,” Roe said. “They would come up to show people their auras, point out different friend’s pictures or discuss their readings.”
Kindred Auras has so far popped up at bachelorette parties, weddings, galas and even the Des Moines Art Center’s Christmas party. They’re currently booking mobile events through 2026, so Roe suggested inquiring online at kindsm.com for you’d like to spice up an upcoming party. |
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Brides Abby Kitto, left, and Hannah Merritt had their auras read together at their backyard wedding in 2024. (Photo: Jason Thomas Crocker) |
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5-7 p.m. Tuesday: Unveiling party. Start the new year with a copy of the next edition of dsm magazine, which we'll release at Soma Cosmetic Surgery and Aesthetics in Clive.
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Feb. 26: dsm Home Design Awards. The winners will be revealed during a ceremony at Krause Gateway Center. Check out the finalist photos here.
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