Murillo Flats

This building is Murillo Flats and was the last stop on the Sherman Hill Walking Tour. It was built in 1905 and was an early example of an architectural form emerging in Des Moines at the turn of the century...'flats' or as we call them now, apartments. This building was originally named "McNamara Flats" after its builder, James McNamara. He changed the name to "Murillo Flats" after Des Moines hosted a very successful art exhibit of the work of Bartolome Esteban Murillo, a Spanish painter circa 1617-1682. The building's original site was 3 blocks from where it now sits. It was moved over a 2 day period in March of this year during a very wet Iowa storm. Videographers from the History Channel filmed the move which will be shown soon on National Geographic's "Monster Moves" series. The building's current owner, Phil Kaser, plans to renovate it and rent out apartments in it for the next 5 years. After that, he told me, it all depends on the condo market; he may sell the apartments as condos or sell the whole building to another visionary.