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 Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

. 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 today's city of Des Moines. Among his accomplishments are Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the skywalks in the downtown area, and the Mickle Center. Bob Mickle was the founding director of Central Iowa Regional Planning Commission from mid-1960s until 1972, and he continued to serve as the director of planning after Joel Gunnells was hired as the executive director of the Commission in 1972.

The Mickle Center

Robert Mickle Business and Neighborhood Resource Center, locally known as "the Mickle Center", 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. Then it was renovated based on Bob's plan to involve office spaces, meeting rooms, and a community room. The center, officially registered with the name "Neighborhood Investment Corporation", has served the Sherman Hill neighborhood and the greater Des Moines community as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization for several years. It functions as a shelter for a number of charitable organizations and a venue for various social activities. As of December 2019, the president of the center is Jack Porter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mickle, Robert 1925 births 2009 deaths People from Des Moines, Iowa