A two-story event space for weddings and parties. A state-of-the-art kitchen for cooking classes. A cafe, a market and a speakeasy-style bar. Those are among the offerings available to the public as Des Moines' historic Italian-American community opens its new Italian-American Cultural Center in the former Butler Mansion on Fleur Drive, and more is planned.
The new facility is more than double the size of the center's previous location on Indianola Avenue. After just over a year of construction and remodeling, it's set to open Sunday, Oct. 25, with bookings for the events space now available. Sitting on a 7-acre site atop a bluff that overlooks Gray's Lake and the downtown skyline, the center's new home is a piece of Des Moines history.
