Ruan Center
| Ruan Center | |
|---|---|
 Ruan Building in Spring of 2008 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Office space |
| Location | 666 Grand Avenue Des Moines, Iowa United States |
| Coordinates | 41°35′13″N 93°37′34″W / 41.587°N 93.626°W |
| Construction started | 1973 |
| Completed | 1975[1] |
| Owner | Ruan Transportation |
| Height | |
| Height | 459 ft (140 m)[citation needed] |
| Top floor | 36 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 36 |
| Lifts/elevators | 13 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Kendall Griffith Russell Artiaga[2] |
| Other information | |
| Public transit access |  DART |
Ruan Center & Carriers Building | |
| Built | 1975 (Ruan Center) 1982 (Carriers Building) |
| NRHP reference No. | 100011416[3] |
| Added to NRHP | January 30, 2025 |
The Ruan Center is a high-rise office building located at 666 Grand Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa, which was built by Ruan Transportation.[4] The building was completed in 1975 and stands at a height of 459 ft (140 m), and was the tallest building in Iowa until the completion of 801 Grand in 1991. The south side of the building's site was formerly occupied by The Chamberlain Hotel.
The Ruan Center is locally known as the "rusty skyscraper", for its Cor-Ten steel cladding that sheds rust.[5] The exterior skin is composed of 1,600 US tons of Cor-Ten steel, and 4,700 tons of structural steel were used in the building's frame.
The building consists mainly of office space and is connected to Des Moines' skywalk system. The 33rd and 34th floors are home to the Des Moines Club, a private members-only restaurant.[6]
The Ruan Center was named one of the 50 Most Significant Iowa Buildings of the 20th Century by the Iowa chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Along with the neighboring Two Ruan Center, also known as the Carriers Building, Ruan Center was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2025.[3] Completed in 1982, Two Ruan Center was built as the headquarters for long-haul trucking liability insurer Carriers Insurance Company.[7] The company became insolvent in 1986 and the building's name was changed to Two Ruan Center later the same year. Plans have been developed to turn Two Ruan Center into an apartment building.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Ruan Center - SkyscraperPage.com". Retrieved February 24, 2008.
- ^ "Ruan Center, Des Moines". Archived from the original on February 22, 2007. Retrieved February 24, 2008.
- ^ a b "National Register of Historic Places Program: Weekly List". National Park Service. January 31, 2025. Retrieved 2025-01-31.
- ^ "Ruan Center". The Skyscraper Center. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
- ^ Bizz Buzz. Des Moines Register, April 21, 2009, http://m.dmregister.com/news.jsp?key=448716
- ^ "Des Moines Embassy Club of Des Moines". Archived from the original on March 14, 2008. Retrieved February 24, 2008.
- ^ Kathy A. Bolten (June 5, 2024). "New details, renderings released on Two Ruan Center conversion". Business Record. Des Moines. Retrieved 2025-01-31.
External links
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- Office buildings completed in 1975
- Skyscraper office buildings in Des Moines, Iowa
- Modernist architecture in Iowa
- 1975 establishments in Iowa
- National Register of Historic Places in Des Moines, Iowa
- Office buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa
- Iowa building and structure stubs
- Des Moines, Iowa stubs