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NEIGHBORHOOD
BEAVERDALE
Why we love it
Beaverdale occupies a large section of northwest Des Moines, bordered by Meredith Drive and Forest Avenue and stretching from 30th Street to 48th Place. It is one of the city’s most recognizable residential identities because the housing stock, street canopy, neighborhood business district, and park system all line up to reinforce the same message: this is a deeply settled place with a strong middle-neighborhood character. What makes it different is that the image people have in their head when they say “Beaverdale” is usually accurate. It really is about brick houses, neighborhood pride, and a commercial strip scaled to local life rather than regional traffic
Origins and early history
Before Beaverdale became Beaverdale, it was the rural western edge of nineteenth-century Des Moines, marked by orchards, truck farms, and the old stage route to Fort Dodge. That road became Beaver Avenue in 1903 and was improved with brick paving in 1917. The entire northwest side was commonly called Urbandale until 1917, when the adjacent suburban village formally took that name; local residents then selected “Beaverdale” for their own neighborhood. Early development was pushed by the Urbandale Improvement League beginning in 1907, with goals that sound exactly like classic neighborhood-building: churches, schools, better roads, and basic civic infrastructure. During the same period, the city platted a business district that would grow to support sixteen shops
Architecture and housing
Beaverdale’s biggest architectural gift to Des Moines is the “Beaverdale Brick.” The neighborhood association dates the appearance of these fashionable brick homes to 1938 and credits local contractor E. T. McMurray. They are one reason the area has such a durable visual identity. The dominant feel is brick, Tudor influence, steep rooflines, and prewar compactness rather than mansion-scale drama. Most plats follow a standard grid, but Maryland Park and Ashby Manor are notable exceptions with winding drives and a more designed landscape feel.
What is now Beaverdale was once the rural western edge of the city, filled with orchards and truck farms. Beaver Avenue originally served as the Fort Dodge Stage Road before being renamed in 1903, and the area’s early platted business district grew to support around sixteen shops. Transportation played a key role, with horse-drawn streetcars later replaced by interurban railcars serving commuters and shoppers. The iconic Beaverdale Brick home, introduced in 1938 by contractor E. T. McMurray, became a defining feature of the neighborhood. Unique areas like Maryland Park and Ashby Manor stand out for breaking from the typical grid layout, while the neighborhood today includes over 50 acres of public parkland. Snookies’ well-known neon sign was officially recognized as a local landmark in 2021
Did you know
Why we love it
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