Valley Junction arch draws mixed reaction

Tag : Galvanized Base

Valley Junction merchants and shoppers have mixed feelings about anarch erected recently over the entrance to the West Des Moineshistoric district.

The 22-foot monument, designed by Howard R. Green and Associatesand paid for by a state grant, is one of the final treatmentsproposed in the 1999 streetscape plan.

Intended to enhance Valley Junction and serve as a landmarkentrance to Fifth Street, it is drawing praise and skepticism. Thearch stands at the south end of Fifth Street as visitors enter fromRailroad Avenue.
"I don't really see a value to it," said Bob Barkley of West DesMoines.

Constructed of galvanized steel tubing welded together to looksimilar to the structure of the signs installed last year atRailroad Avenue, the arch will be lighted in the evenings, saidWest Des Moines Parks and Recreation Director Gary Scott.

Those enhancements, along with Valley Junction signs on both sidesof the uprights, will soon be added.

Mandy Stewart of Perry, who works in West Des Moines and often haslunches on Fifth Street, said it will be better once workers addthe signs.
Teresa Ridout of West Des Moines saw the addition the night ofValley Junction's post-parade street dance on July 3 and said thearch was a nice addition to the historic street.

"I think this really adds a nice dimension to this area," saidRidout, who grew up just north of Valley Junction and regularlyattends events such as the weekly farmers market and Music in theJunction.

The arch's height allows trucks and other vehicles to travel safelyunderneath. Scott said an extension of the sidewalk at the basewill create a small pedestrian plaza on the west side, completewith benches and landscaping.
Electrical outlets at the base will allow the addition of Christmaslights during the holiday season.

Dining at the Longest Yard, 122 Fifth St., Tisha Hall of West DesMoines said the arch adds a nice bookend to the area.

"I didn't realize they were going to do that, but I think it'sreally nice," she said. "I'm sure it will serve a good purposedrawing people here."

From a designer's point of view, the style wasn't what Chris Weyerwould have planned for the space.
A designer with Valley Junction home interior furniture and designshop, Calla at 132 Fifth St., Weyer said he's seen a neighborhoodon Des Moines' north side with an arch design that did a better jobof applying the right look for its area.

"There are other things that could have been done instead, likeenhancing storefronts, that would bring up the level of this area,"said Weyer, who hears from customers that they are just happy theconstruction of the arch is over.
Carole Kavanaugh, the owner of Kavanaugh Art Gallery at 131 FifthSt., had a different view.

"I think it looks nice, and I'm very excited about it as a way toattract people to our village. It will hopefully become a landmarkfor those who have never been here. They will realize there mightbe something here worth visiting," she said.