A disused building deemed one of the most endangered historic structures in Des Moines is set to be demolished to make way for a long-envisioned village serving people who are homeless.
The City Council voted unanimously Monday, Aug. 3, to move forward with the clearance of the former Chesterfield School at 2501 Maury St. It occupies part of a 5.5-acre city-owned tract slated to become the Joppa Village Project, an initiative by local nonprofit Joppa to address chronic homelessness in Des Moines.
The council decided not to take the other option available: referring the issue to the city’s Historic Preservation Commission.
Joppa initially planned to use the old school, east of downtown and a few blocks south of E Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, as a community center for the village.
“We tried really hard to preserve the building,” Joppa CEO Joe Stevens told the Des Moines Register. “It just wasn’t feasible, so, given that, we’re excited to move forward because we’re going to be able to build a much nicer, newer, more purpose-built space for the people that are living there.”
Building older than Des Moines school district
The former Chesterfield School was built in 1880. It served the people of what was then the village of Chesterfield, which in 1882 became Gilbert.
In 1889, Gilbert was annexed into Des Moines. It is believed the district the school served was one of about 20 that combined to form the Independent Community School District of Des Moines in 1907.
Around 1913, the school became Scott School, named to honor Wilson Alexander Scott, who donated his land for the site of the Iowa Capitol. Over the years, the building suffered fires and received additions before its closure as a school in 1971.
The city of Des Moines acquired the building in 1975, using it for a time as a community center. It has stood vacant for years.
In June 2025, the Des Moines Heritage Trust named one of the seven most endangered historic structures in the city. But no one from the organization spoke at Monday’s meeting and the group did not respond to messages from the Register seeking comment.
What is the Joppa Village Project?
The Joppa Village Project will, if successful, create a village of tiny homes to give chronically homeless people in Des Moines a place to call their own while they get back on their feet.
Joppa purchased a tract near Des Moines International Airport for the project, but city leaders decided the site of the former Chesterfield School would be a better spot for the organization because it has existing infrastructure, such as stormwater utilities, and is closer to human services providers. In September 2025, Joppa entered into a lease with the city of Des Moines.
Stevens said that after five years of leasing the property, the organization plans to purchase it.
What does Joppa’s first phase of the tiny home project include?
The first phase of the village project will consist of 25 homes, the community center, the site’s underground infrastructure, laundry facilities, fencing and security, Stevens said.
A building replacing the former school will be home to the village’s “neighbor care community center,” providing meals, health care and support services, he said, and will include a kitchen, convenience store and gym. The new building will have a lower operating cost than the school building, even if it had been renovated, he said.
“We’ll have something that is more purpose-built, much more functional and up to code,” he said.
If all goes as planned, he said, he hopes demolition could begin as soon as 2027.
Joppa will begin building five tiny homes after breaking ground in the fall, with plans to bring a total of 25 in Phase 1 of the project. Home sizes will range from less than 200 square feet to nearly 400 square feet, including a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living space.
Later phases will provide housing for more than 200 people, enough to house two-thirds of the city’s chronically homeless population, Stevens said.
Construction on Phase 1 is slated to start Sept. 3, the same day as Joppa celebrates its 18th year, he said.
Des Moines Register staff writers Kate Kealey and Virginia Barreda contributed to this article.
Norah Judson is a reporter for the Register. Reach her at njudson@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines council backs razing historic school for tiny homes village
Reporting by Norah Judson, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By Norah Judson, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
