The redevelopment of the former Klein's Department Store and Knights of Pythias Hall in the Des Moines Highland Park Historic Business District exemplifies how historic preservation and affordable housing can combine to revitalize a community.
After being unused for years, the two-story building is being thoughtfully restored into four income-restricted residential apartments with two commercial spaces on the main level and one commercial space in the basement level.
The renovation project — enabled by a combination of historic preservation tax credits, affordable housing funding and private investment — is breathing new life into a neighborhood landmark while addressing housing needs. The project has earned a 2026 CoStar Impact Award for Redevelopment of the Year for Des Moines, as judged by real estate professionals familiar with the market.
Constructed in the early 1900s, this brick building was a commercial and social hub in Highland Park, originally housing Klein's Department Store and serving as a meeting hall for the Knights of Pythias fraternal organization. Its architectural and cultural importance is integral to the character of the Highland Park Historic Business District.
The renovation team's goals included preserving the building's historic character through sensitive restoration, providing income-restricted housing with four well-designed apartments, activating street-level commercial spaces to foster business and economic vitality, and supporting neighborhood identity and historic district integrity.
The Klein's Department Store redevelopment demonstrates how historic preservation and affordable housing can work hand in hand to revitalize a neighborhood. Through a careful balance of preservation, affordability and commercial activation, this project serves as a model for sustainable, community-centered redevelopment.
About the project: The Klein Building at 3614 Sixth Ave. in the Oak Park submarket of Des Moines, Iowa, includes four units with an average of 390 square feet. The basement-level retail space features a cocktail lounge called the Highland Underground with its 1970s department store theme, and the first-level space includes Highland Park Fitness, a 24-hour gym.
What the judges said: "Such a major impact and project for an area that has been ignored by the development community. I see this project as a catalyst for more to come," said Bill Wright of CBRE.
"I love seeing these old neighborhoods being revamped," Sommer Walton of Denny Elwell Co. said. "The redevelopment of the Klein Building is overall more beneficial to the residents and taxpayers of Highland Park, changing the aesthetic, providing housing, and bringing new retail opportunities to the neighborhood."
They made it happen: Tim Bratvold, individual developer; Andy Lorentzen, Simonson & Associates