Robert Mickle

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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.[citation needed] 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. ^ Jump up to: a b "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. ^ Jump up to: a b "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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