A pillar of Des Moines' Black community, the Willkie House legacy began in 1917 when it hosted the War Recreation Board's leisure programs for Black servicemen in the city. Its name, function, and location changed in its early years. Renamed the Negro Community Center in 1933, by 1935 it served 70% of Des Moines' Black community and 124 organizations, with activities for the whole family. By 1945, the need for a larger, modern facility was clear, and the Gardner Cowles Foundation together with 767 Black citizens and organizations committed $138,000 for its construction. Led by Lillian Edmunds, the new facility opened on June 17, 1951, as the Willkie House, named for Wendell Willkie, an American statesman who had called for equality of opportunity for all races. The building included a library and a gym long known for dances and roller skating, was expanded in 1983, and over time its mission evolved to focus on youth development.