Also, a few small office projects are underway or proposed to get underway later this year.
The building at 611 Fifth Avenue was originally built as the home of an insurance company, but is now for lease office space in a building sorely in need of renovation and suffering from lowering occupancy. A $25 million gut job renovation will seek to successfully re-tenant this fortress of a building. The original "ribbon" windows were infilled during the energy crisis, but this project would restore them back similar to their original design.
The Des Moines-based Weitz Company is the 65th largest construction contractor in the US, and has announced they will move their headquarters and office to this space.
Historical photo of building:
How it looks today:
Rendering:
This new 72,000 spec office project has started construction on the edge of downtown in a remediated brownfields redevelopment area called Gray's Landing. Another contractor named Estes Construction will make this their home, and the developer is still searching for other tenants.
And a smaller creative office space conversion is proposed in a former carpet/rug production building. This building has sat vacant for as long as I can remember and sits on one of the primary corridors that lead into downtown. This represents one of the last entirely vacant buildings in all of Downtown Des Moines.
How it looks today:
Renderings:
