Sucker for a spiral staircase? Look no further than Des Moines suburb Urbandale and LeMar Koethe’s Spaceship House! A gorgeous one curves around a central pillar rising 35 feet—from the ground-floor garages to the main living area, with an elevator as well—in this stunner of a mansion. Koethke had the home built in 1993, far from the urban center but with a clear and enviable view of the city skyline.
Koethe, a Dubuque native, began his career selling cookware door-to-door and cemented it in real estate. When he had a “vision” of this unexpected design (“the Lord guided me in everything,” he said in an interview with Megan Hill Mitchum of Century 21 Signature Real Estate), he knew exactly what he wanted to achieve, down to the smallest detail. He made his vision a realty reality, working closely with a series of different designers and a cobbled-together construction crew moonlighting on the project from various companies.
The Spaceship House totals 8,100 square feet. and includes a 360-degree balcony, a car wash and an art gallery. Unsurprisingly, Koethe (who founded 7 Flags Fitness Center, a health club that served Clive and the surrounding area from 1987 to 2014) also worked a large rec center into the plans.
The circular home sits on more than 24 acres of land, protected by a moat. Yes, a moat. It’s also built to last: the 16 sturdy piers of its construction can withstand even the wildest of Iowa windstorms. No word on whether it could hold up against the solar wind in space.
This article was originally published in Little Village’s December 2024 issue.