The Plaza Building, also known as The Plaza Condominiums, is a high-rise

condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership regime in which a building (or group of buildings) is divided into multiple units that are either each separately owned, or owned in common with exclusive rights of occupation by individual own ...

building located in

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The building rises 25

floors A floor is the bottom surface of a room or vehicle. Floors vary from simple dirt in a cave to many layered surfaces made with modern technology. Floors may be stone, wood, bamboo, metal or any other material that can support the expected load ...

and in height. It is currently the 5th-tallest building in the city, but will soon be the 6th after the completion of the skyscraper, 515 Tower which will only be a couple blocks away. Designed by the architectural firm of Stageberg Beyer Sachs, Inc., the building was completed in 1985. It is essentially a

modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

building, but it exhibits elements of the

Postmodern Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism. They have in common the conviction that it is no longer possible to rely upon previous ways of depicting the wo ...

style. These are found in the light and dark colored banding at the base and the blue hipped and

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

d roof.

History

In the 1980s, the Plaza joined the

Civic Center of Greater Des Moines The Des Moines Civic Center is a 2,744-seat performing arts center belonging to Des Moines Performing Arts located in Des Moines, Iowa. It has been Iowa's largest theater since it opened on June 10, 1979, and is used for concerts, Broadway shows ...

and Cowles Commons in helping to spur the revival of the downtown area. The Plaza overlooks these cultural attractions and one of the benefits of the building's design is that it is positioned at a 45-degree angle to give sunlight and views to as many residents as possible. Over the years, The Plaza has proven itself as a luxury living solution for downtown Des Moines with a continued return on investment. There are currently 186 residential units with guidelines on the number of units that can be subleased to ensure owner interest in the building. Units vary from 650 to 5,000 square feet. The building is connected to the Des Moines Skywalk system, and has its own parking garage for residents underground. There is also a workout room as well as a pool on the third floor. On February 6, 2016 former Principal CEO David Hurd fell to his death from the 22nd floor. To this day, the motive remains uncertain but he had health issues for the last three years of his life.

Notable residents

* G. David Hurd, CEO Principal Financial ☆Connie Wimer, Creator and owner of Business Record

References

External links

Official Plaza Website

Plaza Facebook Page

Dennis Sachs Architect, cite in pre-2006 Resume - Des Moines Plaza Commercial / Office / Condominium / Parking Project, Des Moines, Iowa

Ted Glasrud Original Development Firm History Page
{{Clear Residential skyscrapers in Des Moines, Iowa Apartment buildings in Des Moines, Iowa Residential buildings completed in 1985 1980s architecture in the United States 1985 establishments in Iowa

History

Notable residents

See also

References

External links