Demolition threat for old D.M. elementary building

The Wallace Elementary building, 1401 E. 12th St., has sat vacant on Des Moines northeast side since 2007. No development activity has taken place since the San Francisco based Olivet University bought the site from the Des Moines school district in 2012.(Photo: Timothy Meinch/The Register)

The empty shell of Des Moines Wallace Elementary School has deteriorated for too long on the northeast side, according to city officials.

The city declared the site a public nuisance in January and officials now contemplate demolition of the building at 1401 E. 12th St. in the Capitol Park neighborhood.

Its too bad it got to this point, really too bad, said Lorraine Eldredge, longtime resident of Capitol Park and member of the neighborhood association. Years ago they should have preserved it.

Wallace Elementary closed in 2007 along with Longfellow Elementary to merge into the new Carver Community School, at 705 E. University Ave.

The Wallace building has since sat vacant and exempt from all property taxes. The 3.3 acres of land and the building were last assessed in 2014 at $158,000, according to records with the Polk County Assessor.

Olivet University in 2012 bought the property from the Des Moines school district. The San Francisco-based private Christian college apparently had plans for expansion that never panned out, according to school and city officials who have had minimal contact with Olivet.

Its just been sitting since then with no activity, which is allowing the building to further deteriorate, said SuAnn Donovan, city zoning administrator. Weve sent them notices and tried to get in contact with them.

Officials with Olivet did not respond to questions from The Des Moines Register asked via phone calls and email this week.

City officials say the decrepit site must be secured and potentially razed. City attorneys are seeking a court order to allow such actions, Donovan said.

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Demolition threat for old D.M. elementary building