183.1034.3

This photo of the first mayor (1870) of Ames, William West, was placed in the cornerstone of the newly constructed Municipal Building which served as the City Hall and later the Police Headquarters until 1990. West and his wife operated the first hotel in Ames. Known as the West House, it was located on the corner of Fifth Street and Douglas Avenue, where the Octagon Center is located in 1996. The Municipal Building's cornerstone time capsule was opened on January 24, 1996, as part of the renovation of the building for Youth and Shelter Services. William West died in 1919 at an advanced age, a few years after this photo was taken.