Mid-century modern restoration planned for former Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge in Des Moines

A local development group wants to return the old Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge on Grand Avenue to its former use as a hotel, featuring the original mid-century modern vibe.

The hotel at 2525 Grand Ave. will have 85 rooms, an outdoor courtyard with fire pits, games and beverage service, and a restaurant in an adjacent building. It will feature the iconic orange pitched roof that was synonymous with Howard Johnson's — a chain of leisure hotels with restaurants and ice cream parlors that operated across the country in the 1960s and '70s. 

By 1975, there were more than 500 "HoJo" motor lodges in the United States and Canada. In Iowa, two of the hotels, now operated by the Wyndham chain, remain — one in Burlington and the other in Waterloo. The sole surviving Howard Johnson's restaurant is in Lake George, New York.

Locally, Howard Johnson's, with its diner and ice cream shop, was a landmark. Built in 1962, it was converted into apartments in 1988.

"It's important to us to restore this," said Andrew Stith, an associate architect with Slingshot Architecture.

The three-story building currently serves as the Terrace Hill Apartments. Unlike other buildings along the Grand and Ingersoll corridor, the apartments and smaller studio units are "under-performing assets" and not gaining in assessed value, said Carrie Kruse, economic development coordinator for Des Moines. 

Local developer Jake Christensen and partners Doug and Val Saltsgaver plan an $18.3 million overhaul of the building, as well as a small, one-story medical office to the south.

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Christensen said the hotel rooms were retrofitted as apartments. He and the Saltsgavers plan to convert them back to a mix of one- and two-bed hotel rooms and suites. The exterior will "create the same aesthetic" as the former hotel, including a new canopy over the driveway, Stith said. 

"We intend to refinish everything that's broken or worn out," Christensen said. 

The team plans to keep each unit's existing balcony, and the rooms' doors will be the same deep orange as the roof.

Christensen said he and his partners will help relocate the apartment building's existing tenants 

A courtyard on the southwest side of the building will have a water feature that hotel guests can lounge in, though it won't be a full pool. Drained at night, it will accommodate fire pits, outdoor games and a bar. 

The medical office to the south will become a restaurant, operated by an independent restaurateur. The building's basement could lend itself to a speakeasy bar, Christensen said. 

The Des Moines City Council has approved a 14-year tax increment financing grant totaling $3.6 million for the project. The development team is also pursuing state historic tax credits that total $1.6 million. 

Construction is anticipated to start in spring 2020 and be done by the end of 2021. 

Kim Norvell covers growth and development for the Register. Reach her at knorvell@dmreg.com or 515-284-8259.

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