Downtown Des Moines has a completely different housing stock than the rest of the metro, and East Village and Court Avenue are the two neighborhoods where it shows up most. Old warehouse and factory buildings, places like the Brown Camp and Whiteline buildings, have been converted into lofts and condos with the kind of tall industrial windows a suburban builder would never install. Newer mid rise buildings downtown bring floor to ceiling glass on top of that.
None of that is a problem for custom window treatments, but it does change the approach. I measure a lot of windows downtown that do not behave like a normal suburban opening, and here is what I have learned working in these buildings.
A different kind of window than the suburbs
East Village blends historic commercial buildings with converted residences, and a lot of that architecture, Italianate, Romanesque, Queen Anne, and early Commercial style storefronts, comes with arched windows, brick cornices, and cast iron detail you simply do not find in a Waukee subdivision. Court Avenue leans toward lofts and historic condo conversions above the restaurants and bars at street level.
Every one of these buildings has its own personality, and its own quirks. Original industrial windows are often taller and narrower than a standard residential opening, sometimes arched, sometimes segmented into multiple panes by the original steel or wood framing. I treat every downtown estimate as its own project, because the building next door rarely matches.
What ties these buildings together is that none of them were designed with window treatments in mind, since they were built as commercial and industrial spaces first. Anyone moving into a converted space downtown is essentially the first resident ever making decisions about how to dress those original windows, which is part of what makes the work interesting.
Warehouse windows and industrial glass
Original warehouse windows tend to run tall, sometimes ten or twelve feet, and that height changes what actually works. A pull cord or wand is not realistic at that height, so motorized shades come up in almost every conversation I have about a loft with original industrial glass. It is not a luxury upgrade here, it is closer to a practical requirement.
Segmented or multi pane industrial windows also change the math on coverage. Sometimes one continuous shade across the whole opening looks cleanest, other times matching the shade width to the original window's own divisions respects the architecture better. I bring samples and we look at your specific window together before deciding.
Condo board and HOA rules downtown
Almost every downtown building I work in has a condo association or building management with its own rules about what can be visible from the street or the building's exterior. That is the same basic idea covered in my HOA and window treatments guide, just applied to a high rise instead of a suburban subdivision.
The good news is the same fix usually applies. A neutral, uniform facing color on the street side satisfies most building guidelines, while the interior side can be whatever color or material actually fits your unit. I always recommend checking your building's specific rules before ordering, since requirements vary building to building even within a few blocks of each other downtown.
I always ask for a copy of the building's architectural guidelines before I quote a downtown job, since a five minute read can save a customer from ordering something their board later asks them to change. It is a small step that avoids a real headache.
Privacy without losing the view
The whole point of a downtown loft is usually the view, so nobody wants to lose it to a blackout shade they never open. Light filtering shades and sheers let you keep the skyline visible during the day while still softening what neighbors in the building across the street can see into your unit.
For units closer to street level or facing a neighboring building at eye level, I often recommend a layered approach, similar to what works well in open concept new construction homes, a sheer for daytime and a heavier shade for evening privacy once the lights are on inside and visibility reverses.
Sun exposure in floor to ceiling glass
Floor to ceiling glass looks incredible and creates a real heat and glare problem, especially on south and west facing units. Without something on the glass, afternoon sun can turn a downtown condo into a greenhouse well before the building's own air conditioning catches up, and UV exposure fades furniture and flooring faster than most people expect.
Solar shades are usually my first recommendation for glass like this. They cut glare and heat significantly while still keeping the view, which matters more downtown than almost anywhere else I work in the metro.
I have measured units where the afternoon sun made a west facing room genuinely uncomfortable by three in the afternoon without any coverage at all. A solar shade with a moderate openness factor solves that without turning the space dark, which matters when the view is half the reason someone chose the unit in the first place.
Getting it measured right in an older building
Older downtown buildings settle and shift over the decades just like historic homes do, and original window openings are rarely perfectly square. I measure every downtown window by hand rather than relying on the building's original architectural drawings, since what is on paper and what is actually in the wall after a century do not always match. Trim details, sill depth, and even the exact number of panes can shift slightly from what an original blueprint shows.
If you own or rent a loft or condo anywhere downtown, East Village, Court Avenue, or elsewhere in the Des Moines core, I am happy to come take a look and tell you honestly what will work for your specific windows. Request a free estimate or call (515) 850-9700.
Have a question I did not cover? Call (515) 850-9700 or request your free in-home estimate and I will give you a straight answer for your exact windows.