Riverview warehouse that was slated for apartments has been demolished. What's next?

The long-empty Des Moines Cold Storage facility near Riverview Park has been cleared after it was determined that the decaying brick structure wouldn't support planned apartments, a restaurant and a bicycle shop.

Des Moines Cold Storage sold the 103,000-square-foot warehouse at 2814 Seventh St. in 2018. By then, the condition of the warehouse had declined to the point where parts of the roof were held up in places by stacked pallets. Portions of the structure were 116 years old.

Now, with a completely bare site, Neighborhood Development Corp. Executive Director Abbey Gilroy said, the sky's the limit.

"It's a vision. That's what it is," said Gilroy, whose city- and county-supported nonprofit purchased the site for $1 million in February 2023. "We just need to solidify the actual concept, the size of the project and our investor."

The parcel is just steps away from the entrance to Riverview Park, where the Neal Smith Trail tops a levee protecting the low-lying area from the Des Moines River. Once home to an amusement park, the city-owned property has seen millions of dollars in improvements in recent years, including construction of a playground and a concert venue, the Prairie Meadows Riviera Stage.

"I think it would be cool to have an entertainment district of some sort that compliments what Riverview is doing," Gilroy said. "It could be really neat, and I'm hopeful that that is how it ends up. It'll take time."

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NDC will continue to seek a developer to help lead the project. It also received Iowa Economic Development Authority approval last October to join the state's Brownfield program, which awards tax credits to projects that redevelop vacant, blighted, underused or environmentally damaged sites.

The state plans to give the corporation up to $1.5 million so long as the final concept includes public space and housing. Initial estimates put the apartments conversion at $13.5 million.

Gilroy expects progress at the site by 2026.

Crumbling brick impossible to save, demolition crew boss says

NDC conducted a partial demolition of the building last fall to remove old additions and the most deteriorated portions of the structure. What was left was a two-story brick warehouse that it had hoped to convert into a space for businesses with a patio and 16 high-end apartments above.

A new building would have been built on the cleared portion of the site, potentially adding another 20 units.

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However, a process Zach DeCarlo of Des Moines-based DeCarlo Demolition said was similar to "peeling back the layers of an onion" revealed that only the warehouse's concrete roof and columns were sound. The brick had gone soft and was crumbling.

"There was no good way to repurpose that building for something for today," DeCarlo said.

While he understands the desire to rescue century-old structures, DeCarlo said there wasn't much left to save.

"What are you saving?" he said. "I've been doing this my whole life. And with that building, there was nothing left."

However, DeCarlo Demolition did manage to recycle nearly 95% of the building, breaking down the bricks, concrete and metals. The brick will be crushed into a sub-base product that will be used under a new convenience store.

Addison Lathers covers growth and development for the Des Moines metro. Reach her at 608-931-1761 or alathers@registermedia.com, and follow her on X at @addisonlathers.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines warehouse demolition pauses plan for Riverview apartments