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A century of stories, one remarkable address
Helen Keller rang in the New Year here, staying at the hotel while in Des Moines for performances over New Year’s Eve.
Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig had breakfast here before an exhibition game. Two of baseball’s greatest, at the same table, in Des Moines.
Charles Lindbergh hosted a banquet here after his famous transatlantic flight. The menu featured boneless squab — reportedly a rare Des Moines delicacy at the time.
Amelia Earhart visited the hotel to speak about her solo flight across the Atlantic — a rare chance for Iowans to hear her story firsthand.
Mae West stayed here during her performance of “Come on Up” at the KRNT Radio Theater. One imagines she made an impression on the staff.
Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev occupied the Presidential Suite during the height of the Cold War. This hotel has seen history made.
JFK, LBJ, and Hubert Humphrey all attended dinner here and held a meeting on farm policy — three future or sitting presidents under one roof.
Elizabeth Taylor stayed here during a Des Moines appearance. Hollywood glamour, right here in the heartland.
Elizabeth Taylor stayed here during a Des Moines appearance. Hollywood glamour, right here in the heartland.
Cher requested her own personal mattress be placed in room #1025. The hotel obliged. Room 1025 has never quite been the same.
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both stayed here during the Iowa caucuses — rivals for the presidency, sharing the same address for a night.
Police raided the Log Cabin Room on the 11th floor, seizing liquor and gambling equipment. The tip reportedly came from the men’s own wives.
When Lindbergh dined here post-transatlantic flight, he reportedly insisted on serving boneless squab, an extravagance that raised eyebrows across Iowa.
The FBI monitored Khrushchev’s stay closely. Guests on nearby floors reportedly had no idea who was sleeping down the hall.
President Nixon greeted supporters in the lobby during his stay — a reminder that this hotel has always been where Iowa’s political drama plays out.
When it opened, every single room had a bathtub, purified chilled circulating water, and a window. Unheard of luxury for its era.
The hotel announced the first air-conditioned guest room in Des Moines, a genuine technological milestone that made front-page news.
100 rooms received TV sets in what was reportedly the largest single installation of televisions in Iowa at the time. The fee to operate yours? 25 cents.
Governor Terry Branstad nominated the hotel to the National Register of Historic Places, cementing its place in Iowa’s official history.
The hotel opened on July 15, 1919, built for approximately $1.5 million and designed by the architectural firm Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson.
Its opening was a statement of ambition: every room had a private bathtub, purified water, and a window. In 1919, this was genuinely extraordinary.
Ronald Reagan attended WHO Radio’s 50th anniversary celebration at the hotel, proof that Fort Des Moines has always been Iowa’s premier gathering place.
After major renovations, the hotel reopened as part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, a century of history, restored for the next hundred years.