The Greenleaf Center’s mission is to cultivate a space for Des Moines Parks Area neighbors and friends to gather and grow. Everyone on our board lives within a mile of the Whittier Building, and know that now is the time to turn this space into an asset for our community. 

 

Our vision is to be a hub for growing produce and preparing food, for artists and musicians to create and share their art, for entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, and for neighbors to gather and connect. Here’s how we plan to do that: 

 

The rehabilitation of this historic school in Des Moines will preserve its historic character, embracing its history as a school and a community space. We’ll add ADA accessibility, improve the building’s energy efficiency, and bring the grounds back to life as a vibrant gardening and gathering space.

 

The School:

The former classrooms of the original 1875 historic wooden school, the 1904 brick expansion, and the 1950s addition will house a cafe, coworking space, and loft-style offices. Two spacious art studios will reside on the lower level.

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The Kitchen: 

The Shared Use Commercial Kitchen will bring the Des Moines metro’s vibrant and growing food scene right to our doorsteps. Designed for up-and-coming food entrepreneurs, the Greenleaf Center Kitchen will be a home base for a variety of licensed food businesses to expand, learn, and potentially collaborate together. (We are already dreaming of the culinary masterpieces that will be created in our kitchen.)

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The Garden: 

Blessed with abundant sunshine, the garden will include an outdoor patio space with shaded seating area where friends and neighbors can gather for urban agriculture classes, social events, food truck pop-ups, performances, and more! Surrounded by beautiful food crops and flower gardens, this space will welcome everyone to stop in, spend some time in nature, and recharge.