Public walking tours are a great chance for Iowans to learn about their communities.  The Iowa Architectural Foundation just completed its fourth year of summer walking tours in downtown Des Moines.  The unique part of the Foundation's tours are that they are all led by area architects and particpants can learn more than just the history of a building.  Particpants can choose to go on one of three tours on designated Thursday evenings.  The  West Tour gives participants a look at Des Moines' more historic architecture as defining buildings are talked about such as the Polk County Courthouse and the Hotel Ft. Des Moines.  The East Tour covers the East Village's historic architecture as well as the more recent additions to that area.  The North Tour takes a look at Des Moines' more recently constructed significant buildings such as the Principal's "Z" Building and the Wells Fargo Arena.  

Thanks to a recent grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Iowa Architectural Foundation has been able to provide architectural walking tours of downtown Des Moines to every Des Moines third grader over the past two years.  Students have learned about the Polk County Courthouse, the Old Equitable Building, and the Des Moines Valley Bank, among other buildings.  The walking tours also included an activities booklet given to each student that provides architectural vocabulary, history, and pictures.  The Foundation is pleased to teach third graders about Iowa's capitol city. 

If you have a group of six or more and would like a private tour of downtown Des Moines, please call the Foundation or click here for more information.