The George B. Peak House, also known as Peak Mansion, has been home to people from all walks of life over the years. From Reverend Peak to countless Delta Gammas and Pi Kappa Alphas, the Georgian Revival house has long been tied to Drake’s history. Now, InvestDSM is renovating the house for an unknown future.
A storied history
1080 22nd St., near Drake Park, was originally built in 1900 by Peak. Peak, who was best known for his insurance company and helping construct Keosauqua Way and his insurance company, which holds the Des Moines Travelers umbrella, lived there until his death in 1923.
The house first played host to Drake students during Peak’s residency. In October 1907 he and his wife hosted the Athenian Club in what the Oct. 12, 1907 edition of The Times-Delphic called one of the “most refreshing seasons of enjoyment indulged in for some time.” Peak also served on Drake’s Board of Trustees.
“George B. Peak’s name, personality and influence have been built into the structure and atmosphere of Drake University. His life as a student and minister of the Gospel has added to the honor of the institution. But his greatest work has been done through his gifts of money and heart as a member of the Board of Trustees,” reads the Oct. 29, 1923 Drake Board of Trustees meeting minutes.
Drake acquired the house upon Peak’s death. According to a 1962 Times-Delphic article, the Peak Mansion was home to the Drake chapter of the Delta Gamma sorority for over 20 years before the chapter moved to 34th Street. From there, the Drake chapter of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity moved in.
It is unclear when Drake sold the property, but in 1978, the house secured a spot on the National Register of Historic Places under the ownership of New Life Center, a church. The church labeled it the New Life Eternity Center.
Future of the mansion
According to Christopher Civitate, a neighborhood development manager for InvestDSM, InvestDSM collaborated with the Neighborhood Development Corporation, a local nonprofit, to acquire the entire block in 2019. Once the COVID-19 pandemic began, conversations with the church stopped.
InvestDSM became “strongly” interested once the church made the decision to tear down the property’s carriage house. They approached their neighborhood steering committee — made up of 12 community members — for guidance.
“What they were looking for is someone to come in, a non-profit, to take care of acquiring and then also the renovation of the Peak Mansion,” Civitate said.
The church sold the house to InvestDSM in July.
There is little evidence left of what the house used to be. However, because the bedrooms are larger than typical one-person rooms, it makes sense that it used to be a sorority house, Civitate said.
At this point, Civitate said, the work has mostly been stabilizing the house. InvestDSM added a new roof and created architectural drawings detailing potential renovations. Next, they will put out a request for proposals to the community. The community’s interests will determine the direction of renovations.
While the chances of the building becoming residential again are slim due mostly to cost, Civitate said he could see the property as a “wedding space, shared kitchen space… a law office or an office of some kind, an architectural office.”
Civitate predicts that the renovation will cost around $1.86 million. A commercial user would be more likely to afford the property at that price point, said Civitate.
“There’s a portico that used to exist on the front of the Peak Mansion,” Civitate added. “So there’s some characteristics of the Peak Mansion that we would love to return back. It’s probably going to drive that cost up even higher.”
Civitate said that renovating older houses is “only challenges,” but to him, it’s worth it. Over time, InvestDSM will renovate the entire block that the Peak Mansion is on.
“Seeing how vibrant and healthy and thriving [neighborhoods] can be really just excites me,” Civitate said. “Investing in our old housing stock is a good thing. We can’t just take every old home and send it to the landfill. We have to invest in them as well.”
Drake works closely with InvestDSM on Dogtown branding and improvements, according to Chief of Staff Nate Reagen, so they heard about the renovation early on.
“InvestDSM’s investment in the properties east of Drake Park will avoid a tipping point that’s difficult to rejuvenate,” Reagen said.
According to Reagen, most of the houses that InvestDSM bought were in poor condition and many were unoccupied. Reagen thinks that, once renovated, the area will be a great place to live because of its convenient proximity to locations such as Drake University for arts, entertainment and athletic events.
“It’s areas like that that contribute to our collective strength,” Reagen said. “It keeps people in the city, in a safe place, in a community that people already feel strongly about.”
