Fort Des Moines Historic Complex, Building No. 49, Des Moines, Polk County, IA

Significance: The post chapel, erected between April and September 29, 1910, at a cost of $11,957.00 (including furniture), was built of brick joined in running bond with red-pigmented mortar on a foundation of brick and concrete, and had a slate roof. Its Gothic features contrasted with the Classical Revival features of the other post buildings. It stood on the east side of the parade near the northeast corner. The main building measures 36 feet by 57 feet, while a rear wing measures 18 feet 3 inches by 37 feet 2 inches. Built according to the Quartermaster General's standardized plan 261, the chapel has a capacity of 226 persons. The front and rear walls of the main building extend in a gabled parapet with limestone cap, a characteristic repeated on the rear wing. A single chimney stands atop the north side of the wing, while a limestone crucifix tops the entry gable. The front of the main building has a Tudor arched entrance beneath a projected gabled cornice. Double doors have decorative false hinge straps. A trefoil light is above the doors.
Survey number: HABS IA-121-E
Building/structure dates: 1910 Initial Construction
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 74000805