801 Grand High Rise Building (referred to as the 801 Grand Building and previously known as The Principal Building), is a 45-story skyscraper 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, United States, operated and managed by JLL Americas and owned by Principal Financial Group (Principal Real Estate). The 801 Grand Building was constructed in 1989 and is the tallest building in Iowa. The building is part of a larger downtown campus run by Principal Financial Group and features a

skywalk A skyway, skybridge, skywalk, or sky walkway is an elevated type of pedway connecting two or more buildings in an urban area, or connecting elevated points within mountainous recreational zones. Urban skyways very often take the form of enclos ...

and a eight-sided copper pyramid at its top.

History

Construction of 801 Grand Building began in 1989 with Principal Financial Group serving as the developers and owners. The building was designed by Hellmuth Obata and Kassabaum. During the design phase of the building, the tower was designed to house office spaces and blend with the architecture of the local area. The tower cost $70 million to construct with an additional $19 million parking lot being constructed and financed by the city of Des Moines. The building featured 705,000 square feet of office space, with 62 percent having been leased prior to completion of the building. The 801 Grand Building was completed in 1991 with a height of and 45 stories. The company JLL Americas serves as the buildings manager. When completed, the 801 Grand building was in height, overtaking the Ruan Center and making it the tallest building in Iowa. The building's height was taller than

One Kansas City Place One Kansas City Place is the tallest building in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, bounded by 12th Street to the north, Baltimore Avenue to the west, and Main Street to the east. Built in 1988, this 18 ...

( tall) and the

Metropolitan Square One Metropolitan Square, also known as Met Square, is an office skyscraper completed in 1989, located in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. At , it is the tallest building in the city, and second tallest building in Missouri behind the One Kansas City ...

in St. Louis ( tall), making it the tallest building in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

between Chicago and Denver. This record was broken by Omaha's

First National Bank Tower The First National Bank Tower is a 45-story office skyscraper located at 1601 Dodge Street in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, United States, and the official headquarters of First National Bank of Omaha. At it is the tallest building in Omaha a ...

in 2002. In 2014, Principal Financial Group refitted their entire downtown campus with diode lights. Originally, the campus featured white lights but these where changed to LEDs due to issues with the white lights attracting and killing corn borer moths. This project was part of a $284 million renovation project.

Design

The 801 Grand Building follows a post modern design. The tower's exterior is built out of granite with the upper levels featuring terraces and setbacks. This was designed to minimize the building's impact on the city's skyline. The top of the building is an eight-sided pyramid covered in copper. The bottom 3 floors are designated for retail stores and restaurants, with the upper levels designated for office space. The 3rd floor connects to a skywalk system and the top two floors serve as a private restaurant. The 801 Grand is part of a larger campus run by Principal Financial Group. The build was named as one of the 50 most significant Iowa Buildings of the 20th Century by the Iowan chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

Notable tenants

In 1993, the 801 Chophouse was established on the second floor the 801 Grand. The The Des Moines Register has described the restaurant as one of the "12 of the best steakhouses". The restaurant serves as the chain's flagship and features a gallery of cattle-forced artwork. The stake house has been used as a de facto clubhouse during the Iowa caucuses and is commonly visited by politicians and news personal. In 2010, the

The First Church of Christ, Scientist The First Church of Christ, Scientist is the administrative headquarters and mother church of the Church of Christ, Scientist, also known as the Christian Science church. Christian Science was founded in the 19th century in Lynn, Massachuset ...

relocated from their Des Moines building to the 801 Grand. In 2020, the insurance company F&G moved their headquarters to the 801 Grand Building. This involved the renovation of a 83,000-square-foot space.

Gallery

File:801 Grand - Des Moines 02.jpg, Image of the 801 Grand Building from the base of the tower File:801 Grand - Des Moines 01.jpg, Image of the 801 Grand building with it's nearby parking garage File:DesMoinesIowaSkyline.jpg, Des Moines Skyline at dusk. 801 Grand Building located in the center.

References

External links