Boyce's Des Moines 1930s/40s

This eye-catching Art Deco design of downtown Des Moines, Iowa, featuring bold geometric shapes and sleek design inspired by Cubism was on the front cover of the menu for Boyce’s, a landmark location in the city.

The restaurant had two locations – uptown on 25th and Drake and downtown at 610 Grand Avenue.

Included in this artist’s rendering is a tower for KRNT and KSO, early radio stations in Des Moines. The name KRNT was derived from owners Des Moines Register and Tribune while the call letters KSO represented the phrase Keep Serving Others. In 1928 The Des Moines Register & Tribune became the first newspaper to own and operate an airplane full time. It's Bellanca "Good News IV" is seen flying above Boyce's logo at the top of the menu cover.

Also featured is the Younkers building, an iconic Midwestern department store chain founded in 1856 in Keokuk, Iowa, that closed in 2018 and had its own upscale tea-room. The Younkers brand is currently being revived online.

Boyce’s was famous for its homemade chili, but it also offered 17 types of sundaes, 46 varieties of sandwiches and even an assortment of Heinz soups.

Minimum service in booths was 10 cents and a mere five cents at the Fountain, a price that covered soft drinks like Fresh Lemon Coca Cola, phosphates and chocolate milk.

Boyce’s was said to be one of the city’s smartest neighborhood restaurants and it also boasted of having installed air-conditioning – a luxury during the 1930s.

"Regardless of how hot the weather, you may now enjoy the cool invigorating air of the mountain tops," proclaims a phrase on the back of the menu.

We’re not sure when Boyce’s closed but it is likely to have continued at least until the 1950s.