DES MOINES, Iowa — The City of Des Moines has started the request for proposal process for the historic Argonne Armory building.

The Argonne Armory building was constructed in 1934 and has served as administrative offices for various city departments since 1976.

RFPs are proposals that developers submit highlighting their plans for a property.

Cody Christensen, the director of development services for the City of Des Moines, said the city expects a wide range of RFPs.

“Really anything is on the table at this point. We’re hoping to see some really unique proposals. And right along the riverfront and downtown, there’s always the opportunity for offices, retail, entertainment, food service establishments, anything that brings the people in. That’s really what makes this area so, so unique and so, so, so engaging for the whole public to, to benefit from,” Christensen said.

Christensen said that the riverfront is full of opportunity for developers.

“We’re in a transition stage. We’re vacating the Armory building. We’re going to be vacating city hall, the federal courthouse just sold. So now we have all these buildings right along the riverfront here in downtown Des Moines that are opportunities for more, more dynamic use, more vibrancy. This is something that developers can come in and say, you know what, this would be a really good spot for this entertainment or some additional housing,” Christensen said.

The deadline to submit an RFP for the Argonne Armory is October 31.

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