Reprinted from Des Moines Register

   For the last 25 years, the major thrust of the Sherman Hill neighborhood has been the preservation of buildings, saving them from neglect and bringing them back to their original stature, or as close to that as possible. By most accounts, Sherman Hill has made the turnaround.

   Now, Sherman Hill is braced to enter a new phase in its quarter-century journey to urban revival: The neighborhood will see the construction of new apartments within walking distance of downtown Des Moines.

   Across the street from historic Hoyt Sherman Place at 15th Street and Woodland Avenue are plans for a $5 million project that will include 51 one and two bedroom apartments in three brick structures. They will be built in an early 20th-century row-house style.

   Construction on this scale is a new direction for Sherman Hill, but a positive one. Housing is a critical component of a redeveloped downtown Des Moines, on that encompasses all the amenities of a major urban area. The plan is to make commercial space available inside the new apartment buildings, possibly for restaurants or shops.

   There have been other developments in recent years that have added to the housing market downtown. The chic Brown Camp Lofts in the old Younkers warehouse have done well. More recently, the Arlington-Hallett Apartments on Locust Street were saved and are being renovated. The possibility of adding housing - up to 700 units - in the area south of Court Avenue and west of the Des Moines River is also being pursued.

   The mix of funding sources for the Sherman Hill development - tax credits, tax-exempt bonds and city, county, and state grants - gives the project the financial and psychological boost it will need to succeed.

   Of all the restoration and new construction happening downtown - the Masonic Temple makeover appears a sure thing, while the new main building for the Public Library of Des Moines will anchor the Gateway West development - housing is the one element that will bring it all together. People living downtown will provide the synergy necessary for all of this to work.

   Sherman Hill may be a neighborhood, but its relationship to the city stretches beyond its borders. The plan for the new apartments enhances its place.