American Republic Insurance Company Headquarters Building

The Scottish Rite Consistory Building in Des Moines, Iowa was built during 1926–1927. It is a late date example of Neo-Classical style architecture, designed by Roland Harrison, a partner in the Des Moines architectural firm of Wetherell and Harrison.The building is owned by the Scottish Rite and mainly used by the Scottish Rite and other Masonic organizations but is also used as a venue for weddings and other events. In recent years the building has seen renovation in the banquet hall and the lower floor of the auditorium had it carpet and chairs replaced.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.The building is located on a corner and presents stone-veneered "public" facades on the south and west sides, with short wrap-around extensions of the veneer on the north and east sides. It is 117 feet (36 m) by 164 feet (50 m) in plan and 80 feet (24 m) tall.

St. Ambrose Cathedral is a historic building located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It serves as a parish church and as the seat of the Diocese of Des Moines in the Catholic Church. The cathedral, along with the adjoining rectory, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

The Diocese of Des Moines (Latin: Diœcesis Desmoinensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the southwestern quarter of the U.S. state of Iowa. It is a suffragan see in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Dubuque. The see city for the diocese is Des Moines. The cathedral parish for the diocese is St. Ambrose. Currently Bishop William Michael Joensen is the bishop of the diocese.

The Home Federal Savings and Loan Association of Des Moines Building, also known as American Federal Savings and the Catholic Pastoral Center, is a historic building located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Completed in 1962, it is considered to be "one of the most well-known examples of mid-century modern architecture in Des Moines." It was designed by the prominent Chicago architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and it is one of the first steel and glass modernist buildings in the city's downtown. Initially, the roof was designed to be suspended from two lengthwise trusses, similar van der Rohe's designs at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. That design was abdoned for a simpler and more direct design that features a steel-frame, glass-infill, and granite and travertine marble on the base. The three-story building rises to the height of 40.25 feet (12.27 m). It was built for the Home Federal Savings and Loan Association of Des Moines and later American Federal Savings, which failed in 1990 amid the country's Savings and loan crisis. There was concern that the building would be torn down so the Des Moines City Council designated it as a local landmark. In 1992 philanthropist Ed Ochylski acquired it and donated it to the Diocese of Des Moines, who converted it into their headquarters. From 2016 to 2017, the building underwent a $10 million renovation. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.

The Liberty Building is a historic building located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It has been a downtown landmark since 1923. The Liberty Building is located at the SW corner of 6th Avenue and Grand Avenue in the heart of downtown Des Moines. The building was originally home to Bankers Life Insurance & WHO (AM) Radio. Designed by the prominent Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson, the 12-story building rises to a height of 174 feet (53 m).The building consists of retail, office and residential spaces. In 2008, Nelson Construction and K.C. Holdings completely rehabilitated the building. Shiffler Associates Architects designed the remodel. There is office space available on floors 4,5, and 6, and storefront space on the 1st floor. The building currently houses a gym and fitness center on the 1st and 2nd floor and a bank on the second and third floors. It is connected to the Des Moines Skywalk system. Currently, the Liberty building is housing Hyatt Place Hotel, designed by Slingshot Architecture, as well as condos on several floors. First Hospitality Group and Baker Group own the building. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.

The Iowa Commission for the Blind Building is an historic building located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. The building is a steel-framed structure covered in brick. It is a nine-story state government office building that rises 95 feet (29 m) above the ground.

The Des Moines Building is an historic building located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It was built in 1930 based on the designs of the Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot, Rawson, Souers & Thomas. It is a combination of the Art deco and Art Moderne styles. The 14-story structure rises to a height of 190 feet (58 m). The former office building was abandoned and in May 2011 the city of Des Moines declared it a public nuisance so as to acquire it to be redeveloped. In November of the same year they sold the building for $150,000 to Des Moines Apartments, LP who developed it into 146 loft apartments. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. The basement is home to a recreational room as well as a workout room. The rooftop is accessible via the 14th floor and has a great 360 degree view of Des Moines. The building is also connected to the city's extensive skywalk system.

The Ruan Center is a high-rise office building located at 666 Grand Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa, which was built by Ruan Transportation. The building was completed in 1975 and stands at a height of 459.68 ft (140m), and was the tallest building in Iowa until the completion of 801 Grand in 1991. The south side of the building's site was formerly occupied by The Chamberlain Hotel. The Ruan Center is locally known as the "rusty skyscraper", for its Cor-Ten steel cladding that sheds rust. The exterior skin is composed of 1,600 US tons of Cor-Ten steel, and 4,700 tons of structural steel were used in the building's frame. The building consists mainly of office space and is connected to Des Moines' skywalk system. The 33rd and 34th floors are home to the Des Moines Club, a private members-only restaurant.The Ruan Center was named one of the 50 Most Significant Iowa Buildings of the 20th Century by the Iowa chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center (formerly known as Veterans Memorial Auditorium) is a building located in Des Moines, Iowa, that is part of the Iowa Events Center. Named to honor the World War II veterans of Polk County, it opened on February 1, 1955. On May 22, 1956, Elvis Presley was the first major act to perform there while on tour of the upper Midwest. Elvis would perform in the auditorium twice more, on June 20, 1974, and his fourth to last concert ever on June 23, 1977.When it was home to the Drake Bulldogs university basketball team (1957–1992), it had 11,411 seats with the capacity to add an additional 4,000 for concerts and another 7,500 bleacher seats for basketball games. Commonly known as "Vets" or "The Barn," it was the long-time host for minor league basketball, arena football, Iowa high school basketball and wrestling tournaments, and high school graduations. Prior to the opening of Wells Fargo Arena, Vets Auditorium had served as the primary venue of sporting events and concerts in the Des Moines area for many years; this was also the site of the January 20, 1982 concert in which Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a bat. World Wrestling Entertainment also broadcast their WWE Raw program from the venue. It was also the site of the 1989 steel cage match between Hulk Hogan and Big Boss Man on Saturday Night's Main Event XXI. With the opening of Wells Fargo Arena, the auditorium was relegated to a supporting arena role. In the fall of 2010, it was closed and renovated into a state-of-the-art convention facility that added a 28,800-square-foot ballroom to the Iowa Events Center in addition to 25 new meeting rooms. At this time, the naming rights were sold to Community Choice Credit Union. However, the structure itself is still referred to as the Veterans Memorial building. Veterans Memorial Hall was also added as a part of the renovation. The Hall showcases Iowa Veterans' sacrifices since Iowa became a state.

The Des Moines Marriott Hotel is a high-rise hotel located in Downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The building rises 33 floors and 365 feet (111 m) in height. It is currently the 3rd-tallest building in the city and the tallest hotel in Iowa. The structure was completed in 1981 and contains 417 guest rooms. The property had been previously occupied by the Royal Union Life Building.

The Equitable Building is a high-rise located in Des Moines, Iowa. It is named after the insurance company Equitable of Iowa, which originally owned the building, and is located along Locust Street in the downtown area of the city. The 19-story Equitable Building, at 604 Locust St. in Des Moines, was completed in 1924, and standing at 318 ft (97m), for 49 years was the tallest building in Iowa. It remained the tallest building in Iowa until the completion of Financial Center in 1973. The Equitable Building is now the eighth tallest building in Iowa.The building consists of retail, office and residential spaces. Since early 2006 a developer has been working to convert much of the building to condominiums. In late 2007 the main retail tenant, Joseph's Jewelry, announced that they would be relocating from the Equitable Building after 83 years to Davis Brown Tower, located at 10th St and Walnut. The move was completed in 2008.The Iowa Attorney General's lawsuit vs. Equitable L.P.: The Iowa Attorney General's Office filed a lawsuit May 5, 2009 alleging numerous asbestos violations from 2005 to 2008. [Go to: [1].] The Attorney General's lawsuit alleged that Equitable L.P., while renovating the top 13 floors of the Equitable Building from 2005 to 2008, failed to inspect for asbestos, failed to provide notice to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, failed to remove asbestos-containing material before renovation, failed to properly handle the asbestos-containing material disturbed during the renovation, and failed to properly dispose of the material. The first six floors were occupied during the renovation. The lawsuit was filed after the Polk County Health Dept. forwarded an anonymous complaint about the renovation project to the DNR in the latter part of 2007, and the DNR investigated and documented numerous violations. The DNR issued an administrative order requiring Equitable L.P. to stop activities until all floors were thoroughly inspected and all asbestos-containing material was removed by a licensed asbestos-abatement contractor – but Equitable L.P. continued with renovation in violation of the order, the suit alleged. The DNR issued a second Notice of Violation to Equitable L.P. in February 2008 for failing to comply with the earlier DNR administrative order. The renovations were completed in 2008 with no additional violations reported. On May 5, 2009, Polk County District Court Judge D.J. Stovall entered a “Consent Order, Judgment and Decree” that ordered Equitable L.P. to pay a $500,000 environmental civil penalty for conducting extensive renovations of the historic Equitable Building in downtown Des Moines without taking required precautions for the presence of asbestos-containing material. [Go to [2]] Judge Stovall also permanently prohibited any further violations. “This is the largest civil penalty by far in Iowa for asbestos violations,” said Attorney General Tom Miller. “We alleged Equitable L.P. completely ignored asbestos-handling requirements during renovations from 2005 to 2007, until the Iowa DNR became involved.” Department of Natural Resources Director Richard Leopold said the amount of the civil penalty underscores the importance of properly handling and disposing of asbestos during renovation and demolition projects. “What’s important to remember is that asbestos poses potentially serious health implications and that we do not have a situation like this happen again,” Leopold said. “This enforcement action should serve as a warning that the regulations relating to asbestos removal and disposal will be vigorously enforced.” In the Consent Order, Judgment and Decree entered May 5, 2009, Equitable L.P. admitted that it: Failed to thoroughly inspect the Equitable Building for the presence of asbestos prior to starting renovation activities. Failed to submit written notice of renovation activities to the DNR before beginning the renovation. Conducted the building renovation without taking precautions for the potential presence of asbestos-containing material. Asbestos – which often is present in older building materials – is regulated as a hazardous air pollutant. It can cause lung disease and cancer, especially if it is contained in dust when asbestos-containing material is crumbled, pulverized or reduced to powder. State and federal laws and regulations have stringent requirements for handling regulated asbestos-containing material during demolition or renovations. The Criminal Case A federal grand jury indicted Russell Coco, the supervisor of the Equitable Building renovation, and developer Bob Knapp, owner of the building, on 11 counts, accusing them of gutting several floors of the Equitable Building while large amounts of asbestos were present, then improperly disposing of the material. Bob Knapp pleaded guilty to two charges in February 2011 for his role at the head of a conspiracy to ignore federal asbestos regulations during a three-year renovation project at the Equitable Building. Knapp was sentenced on June 22, 2011, to 41 months behind bars.Knapp was paroled on March 25, 2014. On March 30, 2014, Knapp was found dead in a burned out car near Panora, Iowa, after stealing it from an acquaintance in Waukee whom he had been staying with. Federal authorities had reported Knapp to have escaped home confinement.Russell Coco also pleaded guilty in February to charges of conspiracy to impede and impair Environmental Protection Agency asbestos removal procedures and violations of the work practice requirements of the Clean Air Act. Coco was sentenced on July 13, 2011, to three years of probation for his involvement in the illegal removal of asbestos from the building.

The Savery Hotel, now known as the Renaissance Des Moines Savery Hotel, is a historic building located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. This is the third hotel in the city with that name and the second at this location. The prominent Chicago hotel design firm H.L. Stevens & Company designed the 233-room hotel in the Colonial Revival style, which was a rare choice for commercial architecture in Des Moines. The hotel is an eleven-story brick building that rises 140 feet (43 m) above the ground. Opened in 1919, it has additions completed in 1952 and 1953. Across the alley to the west is an annex that was completed c. 1899 for the previous hotel building. During World War II, Des Moines was the location for the first Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) training center. The Savery augmented the facilities at Fort Des Moines and served as the induction center, barracks, mess hall, and classrooms from 1942 to 1945.Notable guests who have stayed here include First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, President Harry S. Truman, and actress Carol Channing, who required a window she could open for fresh air before she would stay here. Entertainer Tiny Tim lived for nearly eight years at the Savery in the 1980s. The hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. It was extensively renovated in 1999 and again in 2016–2017.