World Food Prize celebrates 15 years at former Des Moines Public Library location
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The outside of the World Food Prize Building. Photo: Courtesy of World Food Prize
The World Food Prize is celebrating 15 years since opening its headquarters in the former Des Moines Library location at 100 Locust St. downtown.
Why it matters: The organization hosts an annual three-day event in Des Moines that draws global leaders to focus on food insecurity, similar to Davos but for agriculture, World Food Prize Foundation president Mashal Husain tells Axios.
- This year's prize recipient has helped standardize food safety regulations around the globe to decrease food-borne illnesses.
How it started: The former Des Moines Public Library building, which opened in 1903, sat without a plan after the library vacated in 2006 and moved into the Central Library location.
- John Ruan III, then chairman of the World Food Prize Foundation, worked with the City of Des Moines to make the building the organization's permanent home.
- The foundation took it over in 2009 under a 100-year lease, paying $1 for the first 50 years. If the city deems the foundation a good steward of the building, the World Food Prize can pay another $1 to lease it for 50 years after that.
Zoom in: It took a two-year, $30 million restoration to complete the building in 2011. It included making the building more energy efficient, including 102 geothermal wells, more than 90 rooftop solar panels and an 8,000-gallon rainwater cistern.
The intrigue: If you notice similarities between the World Food Prize building and the Capitol, you're not wrong: Both were constructed during the Renaissance Revival movement.
What's next: A casino night fundraiser is planned Friday night at the hall to raise money to preserve the building.
- 6-10pm, Tickets: $95
