Lovejoy Building: 1924

East side of building, March 2009
This building in the Southwestern part of central downtown is "dwarfed", when it comes to how big the building is compared to the ones next to it, and its days standing seem to be limited. Two ghost signs are visible: one on the Eastern side saying "Offices for Rent" with barely readable text underneath it, and the other on the rear, or Southern, wall.

Northwestern Hotel: 1915

The Northwestern Hotel rear side. March 15, 2009
The ghost sign approximately one year later. March 14, 2010
The Northwestern Hotel is located in Des Moines' East Village on Walnut Street. This historic hotel was built in approximately 1915, which is now 95 years ago. Only one ghost sign stands on the building; it is on the South side of the hotel. The long ghost sign reads, from left to right: NORTH WESTERN HOTEL FIRE PROOF.

Carpenter Paper Company: 1918

The Carpenter Paper Co. in February 1999, courtesy of the Polk County Assessor
The warehouse in June 2007
Ghost signs close-up, March 2009
There is not too much known history about this building, except that the warehouse was home to Carpenter Paper Co. The warehouse sports two lines of ghost signs. The top line reads "CARPENTER PAPER", followed by the logo. The line also consists of older signs underneath the black words. The bottom line reads "WHOLESALE PAPER". The warehouse was built in 1918, according to the Polk County Assessor's website.

Des Moines Auditorium: 1908

Historic photo, from Cowles Library Digital Collections, 1911
Des Moines Auditorium, Buick ghost sign, March 2009
Entrance ghost sign, March 2009
Exit sign, March 2009
The Des Moines Auditorium, located on 4th Street and built in 1908, is a historic theater in downdown Des Moines. After the building served as an auditorium, it was for a while home to the Buick Automobile Company. Currently a garage, the old building contains several ghost signs. Probably the most known is a faded advertisement on the north side that reads, from top to bottom: "BUICK | SERVICE | SALES | PARTS | Better Buy | the Buick logo". Two other faded signs are barely visible on the front side of the building. Simply, they are Entrance and Exit signs painted above the garage doors.

L. Harbach Son's Co. Factory: date unknown

The ghost sign up close, March 2009
The Art 316 Building from street view, October 2009
If you have been to Art 316 in Des Moines, you may have seen the old L. Harbach Sons Company Factory sign several times. The 5-story building, formerly a factory managed by vice-president L. E. Harbach, contains a faded sign that seems to make out "L. HARBACH SON'S CO. FACTORY". If one looks closely, a second ghost sign, barely readable, is revealed within the front sign.