Robert Mickle

Robert W. "Bob" Mickle (1925-2009) was a city planner, community leader, and activist renowned for his contributions to the development and revitalization of communities in Des Moines, Iowa.[1] He was active in his planning career for nearly 40 years, followed by a lifelong commitment to voluntary work which is recognized to have impacted[2] today's city of Des Moines.[3][4] Among his accomplishments are Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the skywalks in the downtown area, and the Mickle Center.[5]

Bob Mickle was the founding director of Central Iowa Regional Planning Commission (mid-1960s-1972) where he continued to serve as director of planning after Joel Gunnells was hired as the executive director in 1972.[6]

The Mickle Center

Robert Mickle Business and Neighborhood Resource Center, locally known as "the Mickle Center",[7] is an organization and also the name of a building serving the mission of the organization. The center was named after Robert Mickle for his contributions to Des Moines. The building, which had been designed and used as a senior center, was trusted to Bob Mickle for $1 by the City of Des Moines, with the condition of being operated as a nonprofit organization. Then it was renovated based on Bob's plan to involve office spaces, meeting rooms, and a community room.[4] The center, officially registered with the name "Neighborhood Investment Corporation", has served the Sherman Hill neighborhood[8] and the greater Des Moines community as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization[9][10] for several years. It functions as a shelter for a number of charitable organizations and a venue for various social activities.[11][12][13][14] The current president of the center is Jack Porter as of December, 2019.[10]

References
  1. "Noted community activist Bob Mickle has died". urbanDSM.com. Des Moines Development Forum. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  2. Elmer, MacKenzie (19 April 2017). "'I want to see cranes in the sky', carried along for 24 years". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  3. "About Bob Mickle". micklecenter.com (Robert Mickle Business and Neighborhood Resource Center). Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  4. "About Mickle Center". micklecenter.com (Robert Mickle Business and Neighborhood Resource Center). Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  5. "Robert Mickle Obituary (2009) - the Des Moines Register". legacy.com. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  6. Heth, Jerald (15 February 1972). "'Be Regionable'". Des Moines Tribune. p. 11. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  7. "Robert Mickle Business and Neighborhood Resource Center". micklecenter.com. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  8. "Mickle Center – Sherman Hill". Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  9. "Iowa Nonprofit Organizations: Neighborhood Investment Corporation". inrc.law.uiowa.edu. The Larned A. Waterman Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  10. "Neighborhood Investment Corporation | Des Moines, IA". Pinkaloo Charities. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  11. Leimkuehler, Matthew (6 July 2017). "How a group of scrappy Iowans created one of Des Moines' biggest music events". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  12. Ta, Linh (11 October 2014). "New LGBT center welcomes central Iowans". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  13. Kilen, Mike (25 March 2016). "No church building. No pulpit. But brimming with faith". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  14. Meinch, Timothy (27 June 2016). "Community kitchen planned for Sherman Hill". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
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