As expected, the City of Des Moines this week issued a conditional demolition permit for the historic Zenith property (aka Masonic Home/Landmark on the Sound), after a final environmental impact statement (EIS) concluded preservation is not financially feasible.
As we previously reported, this decision was not unexpected, and the City says that there will be no comment period on the Final EIS.
The decision follows a presentation at the Des Moines City Council meeting on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, and requires owner Zenith Properties LLC to complete all mitigation measures in the environmental review, including creating a public space that commemorates the site’s history during redevelopment.
The permit includes extensive mitigation measures, such as Historic American Buildings Survey documentation, a $1.16 million contribution to a city preservation fund, architectural salvage opportunities, creation of a public historical interpretation space, and multiple environmental protections during demolition. The city determined that removing the unsafe, vacant buildings and redeveloping the property outweighs the “loss of historic and cultural fabric.”
Appeals must be filed with the City Clerk within 10 days of the Aug. 8, 2025 decision, and one group of supporters are trying to appeal it.
“We are hiring attorneys to file an appeal on the EIS and demolition permit decision and will contest it,” supporters said. “We have already raised $7500 outside of GoFundMe and retained the attorney services of Bricklin & Newman for the appeal. We would like to keep raising funds up to $50,000 to strengthen our case and hire experts who can testify on key issues to support our case.”
Zenith Properties LLC, which purchased the 99-year old property for $11.5 million in 2019, now has permission to demolish all existing structures, citing safety concerns and ongoing issues with trespassing, vandalism, and graffiti.
There have not been any publicly released redevelopment plans from Zenith for the property beyond the demolition permit application, so its future use remains unknown.
Des Moines City Manager Katherine Caffrey said she understands the site’s importance, but emphasized the legal and fiscal limits the city faces.
“While this is not the outcome we hoped for, it is the financially responsible decision,” Caffrey said. “Spending taxpayer dollars on a lawsuit would lead to cuts in services residents need and expect, like public safety and youth and senior programs. And we would still be left without a plan or means to preserve the site.”
Caffrey also urged residents to view the decision as a practical resolution after years of failed preservation attempts.
“This is not a choice between preservation and demolition, but rather a responsible alternative to a dilemma that has remained unsolved despite more than a decade of effort,” she said.
The Masonic Home was marketed for sale in 2013. The Freemasons sought a demolition permit in 2019 before selling the property later that year to Zenith, which assumed the pending application. The city then launched a multiyear environmental review with multiple rounds of public comment. The final environmental impact statement was issued July 31, 2025.
City officials noted that private owners are not required to disclose future development plans when applying for a demolition permit. However, any future redevelopment of the property will require a full city review and opportunities for public input.
Appeals must be filed in writing with the City Clerk by Aug. 18, 2025. The city had signaled ahead of time that a permit decision would be issued Aug. 8 following the minimum waiting period after the EIS release.
A community meeting for residents to learn about this decision, along with next steps, is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 21 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Beach Park Auditorium.
“The City wants to clarify that the Aug. 21 community meeting is an opportunity to inform the public and hear their questions,” Caffrey said. “It is not a forum for taking testimony for or against preservation. The process for challenging the EIS and the permit decision under state law is the appeal process.”
For more information, please visit the City of Des Moines project webpage:
