801 Grand

801 Grand High Rise Building
Image of the 801 Grand. Taken from the North Eastern corner of the building. The headquarters of PFG on the left.
View of the north-east corner of 801 Grand. 711 High Street, the headquarters of Principal Financial Group, is in the foreground
Map
General information
Location801 Grand Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa, United States
Construction started1989[1]
Completed1991[1][2]
OwnerPrincipal Financial Group
Height
Roof630 ft (190 m)
Technical details
Floor count45
Floor area922,467 sq ft (85,700.0 m2)[3]
Design and construction
Architect(s)HOK[2]
Other information
Public transit accessBus transport DART
Website
801grand.com

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, Iowa, United States, operated and managed by JLL Americas and owned by Principal Financial Group (Principal Real Estate). The building was constructed in 1989 and is the tallest building in Iowa. It is part of a larger downtown campus run by Principal Financial Group and features a skywalk and an eight-sided copper pyramid at its top.

History

Formal construction of the 801 Grand Building began in 1989, with Principal Financial Group serving as the developers and owners.[4][5] In February 1989, the foundation, consisting of 38,860 cubic yards (29,710 m3) of concrete, was poured, and 139 caissons were drilled.[6] The building was designed by Hellmuth Obata and Kassabaum.[7] During the design phase of the building, the tower was designed to house office spaces and blend with the architecture of the local area.[8] 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.[5] In 1990, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Donald Avenson toured the nearly completed building, specifically visiting the 40th and 41st floors. In total, the project involved approximately 500 workers representing a dozen separate labor unions.[9]

The 45-story 801 Grand Building was completed and opened in 1991.[7][8] The company JLL Americas serves as the buildings' manager.[10] When completed, the 630-foot (190 m) building overtook the Ruan Center as the tallest building in Iowa.[11][7] The building's height was taller than One Kansas City Place (626 feet (191 m) tall) and the Metropolitan Square in St. Louis (591 feet (180 m) tall), making it the tallest building in the Midwest between Chicago and Denver.[5] This record was broken by Omaha's First National Bank Tower in 2002.[12][13]

In 2014, Principal Financial Group refitted their entire downtown campus with diode lights. Originally, the campus featured white lights but these were 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.[14]

Design

The 801 Grand Building follows a postmodern design. The tower's exterior is built out of granite with the upper levels featuring terraces and setbacks.[7] This was designed to minimize the building's impact on the city's skyline.[8] In total, the building's walls required a total of 3,000,000 pounds (1,400,000 kg) of granite.[9] The granite used in the 801 Grand's exterior is specifically Venetian gold granite, which is known for its distinctive golden color. The stone used for the 801 was originally mined in Brazil, processed in Italy, and imported to Des Moines. Conversely, the windows are framed with a darker variant of granite.[6]

The top of the building is an eight-sided pyramid covered in copper. Originally, the designers intended the copper to turn to a verdigris color via oxidation. Furthermore, the original 1987 designs indicate a light green cap that was designed to blend the building's profile in with the rest of Des Moines's skyline. This was never achieved due to the relatively low levels of sulfur pollution in the atmosphere, which led to the copper pyramid oxidizing to a deep brown color.[15]

The bottom three floors of the 801 Grand are designated for retail stores and restaurants, with the upper levels designated for office space.[7] The third floor connects to a skywalk system and the top two floors serve as a private restaurant.[8][4] The build was named one of the 50 most significant Iowa Buildings of the 20th Century by the Iowan chapter of the American Institute of Architects.[7]

Notable tenants

In 1993, the 801 Chophouse was established on the second floor of the 801 Grand. In 2022, the Des Moines Register listed the 801 Chophouse among the 12 best steakhouses in Des Moines. This restaurant serves as the chain's flagship and features a gallery of cattle-themed artwork.[16][17][18] The steakhouse has been used as a de facto clubhouse during the Iowa caucuses, and it is commonly visited by politicians and news personnel.[19]

In 2010, the First Church of Christ, Scientist relocated from their Des Moines building to the 801 Grand.[20] In 2020, insurance company F&G moved their headquarters to the 801 Grand Building. This move involved a $9.4 million renovation of 83,000 square feet (7,700 m2) of office space.[21]

  • Image of the 801 Grand Building from the base of the tower
    Image of the 801 Grand Building from the base of the tower
  • Image of the 801 Grand building with its nearby parking garage
    Image of the 801 Grand building with its nearby parking garage
  • Des Moines skyline at dusk, with the 801 Grand Building located in the center
    Des Moines skyline at dusk, with the 801 Grand Building located in the center

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "801 Grand - SkyscraperPage.com". Archived from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
  2. ^ a b "801 Grand, Des Moines". Archived from the original on September 20, 2004. Retrieved June 12, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ "801 Grand". Skyscraper Center. CTBUH. Archived from the original on August 5, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  4. ^ a b "801 Grand, Des Moines - SkyscraperPage.com". skyscraperpage.com. Archived from the original on September 13, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Lester, Chris (June 17, 1990). "Des Moines' growth has concrete symbol". The Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on September 13, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022 – via Chicago Tribune.
  6. ^ a b Burcum, Jill (July 31, 1989). "Office tower remains star of D.M. construction show". Newspapers.com. The Des Moines Register. p. 6S. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "801 Grand". Iowa Architectural Foundation. Archived from the original on September 13, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d "801 Grand". Emporis. Archived from the original on May 14, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ a b Challender, Mary (October 14, 1990). "Here are the workers who built D.M.'s grandest building". Newspapers.com. The Des Moines Register. p. 4P. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  10. ^ "Contact Building Management or Security | 801 Grand Building". 801 Grand. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  11. ^ Norvell, Kim (November 16, 2020). "How the landmark Financial Center changed downtown Des Moines forever; National Register status may be next". The Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  12. ^ D. Holt, Nancy (September 1, 1999). "Growing Midwestern Skyline Gets Boost From New Tower at First National Center". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on September 4, 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  13. ^ Jorgensen, Susan (February 2003). "Omaha's First National Bank Tower Using Structural Lightweight Concrete to Build a Landmark" (PDF). ESCSI. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 4, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  14. ^ Magel, Todd (November 25, 2014). "Have you noticed a change in the Des Moines skyline?". KCCI. Archived from the original on September 13, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  15. ^ "Green becomes tall order for 801: Here's why: It takes sulfur to turn cap green". The Des Moines Register. July 23, 2005. p. 1D, 5D. Retrieved January 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Acevedo, C. (May 28, 2014). "Love meat tender: 801 Chophouse review". The Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  17. ^ Carlson, Brian Taylor (March 4, 2019). "The hottest places in the Des Moines metro where you can eat steak". The Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  18. ^ Stapleton, Susan (June 2022). "Here are 12 of the best steakhouses in the Des Moines metro area for prime rib, steak de Burgo and more". The Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  19. ^ Martin, Jonathan (January 15, 2016). "Another Reason to Caucus Iowa: The Restaurants". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  20. ^ Norvell, Kim (October 9, 2019). "Developers plan condos priced at up to $1.6M at historic Grand Avenue church". The Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  21. ^ Norvell, Kim. "Des Moines-based Fidelity & Guaranty Life plans to expand downtown corporate headquarters". The Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
Preceded by Tallest Building in Iowa
1991—present 		Succeeded by
None