the historic district is the northwest section of a former suburb known as greenwood park. it was incorporated as a city in the area of brown's park in 1881, and in 1890 it was annexed into the city of des moines. the greenwood park association bought brown's park 1892. while it was platted for residential development, housing was not built here until 1910 and into the 1920s. for the most part, it continued to be used as a park until then. the part of the district north of ingersoll avenue is exclusively residential. apartment buildings were built in the greenwood park plat from 1918 to 1926, and five of them remain. three churches were built in the district between 1922 and 1938. they include st. augustine catholic church (1922), plymouth congregational church (1926; now united church of christ), and central presbyterian church (1938). four medical buildings and an office building were built along 39th street and on ingersoll avenue between 1955 and 1961. prior to this, there was virtually no commercial development in greenwood park. five more were completed between 1963 and 1975.