Polk County - Criminal Court - American Courthouses

County Criminal Court – Des Moines

Location: 110 6th Avenue / Cherry Street

Built: Unknown – Reconstructed 2016 – 2019

Style: Modern

Architect: Unknown / OPN Architects of Cedar Falls

Contractor: Unknown / Neumann Brothers, Inc. of Des Moines

Description: The building faces east and is a five story gray colored metal paneling siding, glass and concrete style structure. The building was reconstructed in 2016 to 2019 and occupies the former County Jail which was closed in 2008 and is located in the center of Des Moines. The southeast corner and north side have glass walls. The roof line is flat. In the interior, the hallways run east–west. The southeast corner has an open glass paneled stair well ascending to the fifth story. There are 10 courtrooms located on the first, second and third stories. The fifth story remains vacant to accommodate future expansion. The building houses the County District Court – Criminal of the 5th Judicial District. On the east side is the Polk County Courthouse and on the northeast side is the County Justice Center.

Note: The old County Jail was an eight story brick and concrete structure. The building was demolished by D W Zinser Company except for the concrete floors and foundation and then rebuilt with a metal and glass exterior. The cost of construction was $35,000,000.