Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa Breaks Ground on Transformative New Campus at Historic Butler Mansion

RDG Planning & Design joined the Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa and community leaders to celebrate the groundbreaking of a reimagined cultural campus at Des Moines’ historic Butler Mansion. Designed to honor Italian-American heritage while engaging new audiences, this transformation positions the center as a dynamic, sustainable destination for education, celebration and authentic Italian experiences.

“We’re honored to help create a place that pays tribute to the legacy of Italian immigrants in Iowa while shaping a vibrant future for the community,” said RDG Architect and Principal Matt Coen, AIA. “By thoughtfully preserving the historic mansion and introducing new, flexible spaces, we’re weaving together stories of the past with new opportunities for connection and celebration.”

Central to RDG’s design is the preservation and adaptive reuse of the 1936 Butler Mansion, a beloved architectural landmark. The project introduces revenue-generating spaces such as banquet halls, a café, a marketplace, a merchant store and short-term rental suites, creating operational sustainability while supporting the center’s educational and cultural mission. The new two-story museum, along with exhibits throughout the center, celebrates the stories of Italian immigrants whose labor and entrepreneurship shaped Iowa’s railroads, mines and local businesses.

A transformative design element reimagines the site’s circulation by centralizing the public entry. The previously hidden courtyard will become the Via Dei Beni Culturali, a cultural boulevard offering direct access to nearly every destination within the facility. A new two-story addition, filled with natural light, houses a pre-function and lobby space for events and seamless connections to the museum, cooking classroom and banquet areas.

On the south lawn, a new bocce pavilion (tucked into the hillside to minimize visual impact) will serve as a unique gathering space and support national-level bocce tournaments. Its green roof blends into the landscape, creating an inviting terrace for small events while preserving the mansion’s historic prominence atop its 7.5-acre site.

In addition to honoring Italian culture, the center will offer youth and senior educational programs, host festivals and community gatherings and provide rentable spaces for local businesses. Inclusive design solutions such as improved vertical circulation, accessible pathways and an elevator enhancing accessibility across the existing building’s ten partial levels, ensure all visitors can navigate and enjoy the center’s many functions.

Construction is underway, with the center expected to open in late 2026. RDG Planning & Design is providing architecture, experiential design, interior design, landscape architecture, lighting design and FF&E procurement services for the project.