Des Moines $20M Italian-American Center Expected to Open

Des Moines’ Italian American Cultural Center is opening to the public in the renovated historic Butler Mansion, following a $20 million project that preserves parts of the 1930s building. The center includes event and educational spaces, a kitchen for cooking classes, a cafe and market, and lodging, with its museum still under construction. The museum is intended to preserve and share the history of Italian immigration and heritage in Iowa, while the center’s leaders say its events and facilities are open to everyone. Future plans include indoor bocce courts and additional amenities.