From our sister site The Waterland Blog:
Citizens for the Protection of Des Moines’ Historic Resources this month filed an appeal in King County Superior Court seeking to overturn a decision involving the Masonic Home property in favor of the City of Des Moines, according to the group.
The appeal was filed on the deadline of Jan. 2, 2026, and the case is currently scheduled to be heard June 8, 2026, with multiple preliminary hearings and filings expected before then, the group said.
The appeal follows a Dec. 11, 2025 hearing examiner decision that ruled in favor of the City of Des Moines.
The group said it believes there were errors in that decision and is seeking review by a different judge in King County Superior Court in Kent.
“We feel there were many errors with this decision and have filed an appeal with King County Superior Court,” the group said. “We feel the Judge will be more impartial and independent at this level, as the Hearing Examiner, with all due respect to their professionalism, was someone who regularly works with the City of Des Moines.”
Organizers said it will represent itself in the county level appeal after previously hiring the law firm Bricklin and Newman for the city hearing. The group said that legal representation provided a strong basis for the appeal but exceeded its fundraising capacity.
According to the group, it raised about $8,700 through a GoFundMe campaign and an additional $33,000 offline for the city hearing, for a total of about $41,000, while the final legal bill was about $73,000. The group said it will cover the remaining costs from that case.
To support the county appeal, the group has launched a new GoFundMe campaign to cover filing fees, service fees, printing costs and the transfer of the city hearing record to King County Superior Court, as well as consultation with Bricklin and Newman on technical and procedural matters.
The GoFundMe campaign is titled “Help Save the Masonic Home of Des Moines with a King County Appeal” and is intended specifically to support costs related to this county court case.
“We estimate the King County Superior Court Appeal will be around $5,000,” organizers said. “So any amount you can donate will go a long way and help out a lot. Thank you for all your support along the way and for standing up for the amazing Masonic Home of Des Moines!”
The GoFundMe page can be found at https://gofund.me/97661d1fa.
