Design Matters

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Matt and Kori Welbes lived in their Des Moines-area starter home for almost 23 years. It’s where they brought their newborn home from the hospital and built a lifetime of memories as she grew. Although Matt wanted to build, Kori said she’d never move. Then they took a tour of Middlebrook. “We felt at home here,” she says. Today, Kori says, “our new house feels like a warm hug. It’s a joy to come home to.”

That joy is not just about the house itself, but also about the Middlebrook experience. “Living in the Agrihood,” she says, “is about community, front porch living, being able to walk to Fridays at the Farm or the Mercantile to grab a drink after work, and really the neighborhood and the community’s feel.”

Middlebrook’s distinctive feel didn’t spring up by chance. Thanks to town architect J.P. Curran of Curran & Co. Architects, the impact of good design is central to the neighborhood. “Here, homes are individually distinct, with usable front porches; clean, simplified forms; and a level of craft and detail often neglected in many developments,” Curran says. “These aren’t just aesthetic choices. They’re intentional moves that shape how people live and connect. Because, in walkable neighborhoods, details matter.” Each home in Middlebrook is designed in one of five selected styles curated from local historic neighborhoods, notably Beaverdale’s Tudor Revival (known as Beaverdale Brick) and Waveland Park’s Craftsman. Other styles include the vernacular farmhouse and options for contemporary and transitional designs. A common thread connecting all five is a front-porch-forward, garage-minimizing design that reinforces the Agrihood’s pedestrian-oriented nature. “An emphasis on distinct and recognizable architectural styles fosters an emotional connection and strong community identity,” Curran says. “The payoff is a community that feels both timeless and rooted.”

“At first glance, the homesites at the Great Western Crossing neighborhood may not seem all that different from those in conventionally platted subdivisions around Des Moines. But spend just a few moments walking the streets, and it becomes clear—the vibe is quite different.” — J.P. Curran, Middlebrook town architect

Ground Breaker Homes, a Central Iowa design-build firm, has embraced the development’s vision for community. “Middlebrook requires us to be more thoughtful about placemaking—mixing styles within a neighborhood and how homes interact with each other,” Kalen Ludwig, director of sales and marketing, says. “It is fun being involved with something so unique. We are constantly learning and getting opportunities to be creative in design.” The Welbeses chose Ground Breaker as the builder for their new home. “We had lots of ideas,” Matt says. “Kalen and her team helped us work through those and get to our end result.” Kori adds, “It’s designed exactly as our family lives, and we appreciate that the most.”

Creating not just homes, but an entire community that embraces how people and families live is the overarching goal of the Agrihood. “I often describe Middlebrook as a new town with an old soul,” Curran says. “It honors the things that made towns memorable in the first place: walkable streets, gathering spaces, front porches, shared gardens, and a pace of life that invites connection. It’s a nod to the way towns used to be built—with intention, with character, and with community at the center. It’s a place that feels familiar in a fresh way: less like a development and more like a town with a story to tell.”