Downtown Des Moines Office Market
If you’ve not been paying attention to the office market downtown then it will come as a surprise to you to know that it’s not doing so well. Some major employers have decided to move to the suburbs (gag), and downtown will soon have 750,000 sq ft of vacant office space!
Of course this isn’t good news for the folks that want more people to live downtown, because most people that live downtown also work downtown. At least that’s the buzz around town I guess.
The Des Moines Register did a story about this recently which you can, and should, read here.
I’d like to highlight this section for you about the Ruan Building…..
Some folks believe the Aviva move could have been avoided.
John Ruan III was willing to lease or sell the Ruan Center and Ruan II office building to Aviva at a price that would have cost the insurer as much as $50 million less than the $150 million it will spend to build a new headquarters in West Des Moines.
How ugly is the Ruan Building? Ugly enough that Aviva would spend $50,000,000 more on something else! Now that is ugly!!!
While I’m at it let me offer some free advice. Since my site has become the authority on downtown perhaps the right people will read this. (I know they will, they just won’t admit it!)
If I was the owner of the Ruan Building, Hub Tower, or one of the other big uglies downtown here’s what I’d do if I had all that empty space. I would redo the outside and make it interesting, all glass or something. Turn the building into the centerpiece of the skyline, something modern maybe.
Then I would turn the interior of the building into a mixed use project, something that you see in bigger cities but hasn’t hit Des Moines yet. Maybe a live/work/shop type of building. Street level retail, mid level office space and high rise condos. Maybe a hotel/condo project, whatever I felt was most economically viable. By the time the project was done the downtown market will most likely have shifted from where it’s at now and I would look like a genius.
Let’s open it up to you. What would you do if you owned one of the many buildings soon to be empty downtown? What would you like to see these buildings turned into? If it was your building and your money what would you do?
#1 Hater Says:
You nailed it, the Ruan building is by far the ugliest building downtown. It looks like someone took a rusted trash can, flipped it upside down and cut windows out. Principal building is Des Moines best, while Ruan is Des Moines ugly redheaded step-child.
If you don’t think that building is evil, you need to look up the address.(666 grand ave)
#1 HATER
Posted on November 7th, 2007 at 11:18 am
Josh Says:
801 Grand is dated….The Ruan is just so much more ugly that it distorts your vision, like beer goggles.
Posted on November 7th, 2007 at 11:53 am
Bethany J Says:
I know this dates me, but I can remember when they built the Ruan building. We were appalled that the building was just metal, but was supposed to “rust” over the years and look very nice.
Still waiting.
Posted on November 7th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
JoeBlack Says:
“Some major employers have decided to move to the suburbs” is a very inaccurate statement. ONE major employer is leaving and it’s not even a “huge” employer with 600 employees (of course it would have been awesome to see them stay downtown). Wellmark is constructing a new 500,000 sq. ft. headquarters building downtown. With a current 2% vacancy rate for class A space, downtown is doing fine in the office market. Yes, 750,000 sq. ft. of office space is a lot to absorb, but hopefully it will lead to more opportunities for other companies to expand or relocate downtown.
About the Ruan Center and the Hub Tower, these buildings are great examples of international and postmodern architecture. It would be AWEFUL to see their exteriors “modernized” to fit today’s tastes. New construction should show showcase current architecture. In most places, the buildings that were defaced in the past 50 years to make them “modern” are being converted back to their original architecture. Just look at the Masonic Temple for an example in Des Moines. Look at pictures of when the Hotel Randolph or the Register building were built to see what “modernization” can do to a building. HORRIBLE!
Posted on November 13th, 2007 at 1:51 am
#1 Hater Says:
“Yes, 750,000 sq. ft. of office space is a lot to absorb, but hopefully it will lead to more opportunities for other companies to expand or relocate downtown.”
Are you an idiot? Do you understand how real estate works? Supply and demand?
You must be a freakin artist because you just don’t get it.
I sure hope we can keep the “Original” architecture the Ruan has, otherwise years from now we will miss having a rusted upside down trash can to admire.
#1 HATER
Posted on November 13th, 2007 at 4:15 am
JoeBlack Says:
“Are you an idiot? Do you understand how real estate works? Supply and demand?
You must be a freakin artist because you just don’t get it.”
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that Downtown Des Moines will have higher vacancy rates at times. It will go up and it will go down naturally. I didn’t think I needed to give an Economics 101 lecture (as most understand those key points).
Also, I would recommend you take an architecture or an art history class so you know what your taling about when it comes to architecture. Some never learn from past mistakes (and usually it is done by those who are ignorant).
Posted on November 13th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
#1 Hater Says:
Joeblack,
I agree about lots of the buildings downtown looking better if they were left alone. Although the Ruan is UGLY. I don’t see how you could make it worse. Anything you did to that building could only improve it.
#1 Hater
Posted on November 13th, 2007 at 4:42 pm
Josh Says:
When I think of the Ruan Center I don’t think of “postmodern” I think it looks more “post-apocolyptic.” I really think if you redid the outside in all glass, with a nice blue or silver coloration that property could look awesome. Right now it’s as bad as they get.
Downtown’s old stuff is great, fantastic really. It’s the crap that’s newer that looks terrible. The Hub tower is gonna look real bad when that teal/green color goes even more out of style than it is now.
Will any of my suggestions ever come to pass? Probably not. In the end architecture is art–some will like a design and others will hate it. Your passion and willingness to open debate are commendable!
Posted on November 14th, 2007 at 2:04 am
hank Says:
The Ruan Center was built in the International style. It was built with Cor-Ten Steel. Ever hear of the Daley Center in Chicago, or The Time Life Building in Chicago? They were also built with Cor-Ten steel. Oh, and so was the Picasso scultpure in the Daley Center Plaza.
http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=117138
http://www.cityofchicago.org/Landmarks/D/DaleyCenter.html
Posted on December 23rd, 2007 at 8:52 pm