The Des Moines Metro area’s largest private employer is announcing plans to develop a history museum downtown.
Economic development leaders say it will be a linchpin to the revitalization of Walnut Street.
Wells Fargo says it will open a 5,500-hundred-square-foot museum in its bank lobby a year from now.
City leaders say that times out perfectly with revitalization efforts on the street, which served for years as a hub for buses and was shut off to traffic.
Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie says the city’s goal is to drive foot traffic to an area that will soon feature restaurants and shops.
“Walnut Street will become a lifestyle destination and this museum is really a significant part of it,” he says.
Assistant City Manager Matt Anderson says the Des Moines City Council has approved the first phase of a plan that will bring benches, lights, planters and a more robust street life to the area.
“It will be from Fifth Street to Eighth Street, so this right in the center of it," he says. "The real goal of this streetscape is to bring walkability back to downtown, to get people out of the sidewalk and back to the street level.”
Wells Fargo executives say they will invest $1.5 million into the museum, which will display the history of both the bank and the city.