Randolph Hotel, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa, also known as Hotel Randolph
The Randolph Hotel is a nine-story building in downtown Des Moines designed by H. L. Stevens & Company in 1912 and styled in the Chicago Commercial manner. The structure was notable for using reinforced concrete for its frame, an uncommon construction method for hotels at that time, with the original plan allowing for expansion toward the north.
The hotel was built in 1912 as the first completely fireproof hotel in Des Moines and was the city's tallest at that time. A tragic event occurred on March 24, 1923, when an elevator fell eight stories, killing four people including two couples and the operator.
The hotel was named after the eldest son of founders Judge James and Ida Hewitt, embedding family history into the building's identity. The original entrance featured a staircase of Italian white marble with green trim, reflecting the prosperity and aspirations guests encountered upon arrival.
The hotel sits at the corner of Fourth and Court Avenue in downtown Des Moines amid historical shops and cafes in a walkable area. Note that many rooms are rented on a weekly basis to longer-term guests, making the building function more as extended-stay accommodation than traditional lodging.
The exterior facade was updated in 1935 and the interior renovated in the 1950s in Streamline Modern style, with the mezzanine enclosed and the original cornice removed later for safety reasons. Current restoration efforts aim to recover some of these early 20th-century architectural details.
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