Apperson Iowa Motor Car Company Building

The Apperson Iowa Motor Car Company Building, also known as the Garage Building for Rawson Brothers, is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It is significant for its association with the prominent Des Moines architectural firm that designed it, Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson. Completed in 1921, it was designed and built within the period of time the firm was at its most prolific (1910–1925).^[2] It is also significant for its association with the rise of the Automobile Industry in the city. Auto dealerships and distributorships leased the building from 1921 to 1951. Architect Harry D. Rawson and his brothers owned the building from 1921 to 1938. The two-story structure is located on a midblock lot in the midst of what was the automobile sales, service, and manufacturing district on the western edge of the downtown area. The first floor housed a showroom in the front with offices on a mezzanine. The back of the first floor and the second floor was used for assembling and servicing automobiles.^[2] The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.^[1]

Apperson Iowa Motor Car Company Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	1420 Locust St. Des Moines, Iowa
Coordinates	41°35′03.4″N 93°38′7.7″W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1921
Architect	Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson
Architectural style	Early Commercial Classical Revival
MPS	Architectural Legacy of Proudfoot & Bird in Iowa MPS
NRHP reference No.	16000363[1]
Added to NRHP	June 14, 2016

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. Jennifer James. "Apperson-Iowa Motor Car Company Building" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2017-10-26.