Skyline of Des Moines

This list of tallest buildings in Iowa ranks skyscrapers in the US state of Iowa by height for existing and proposed structures.

Tallest buildings

Rank Name Image Height

ft (m)

Floors Year City Notes
1 801 Grand (previously The Principal Building) 801 Grand, since 1991 the tallest building in Des Moines and Iowa 630 (192) 45 1991 Des Moines Office
2 Ruan Center Ruan Center, from 1975 until 1991 the tallest building in Des Moines 460 (140) 36 1975 Des Moines Office
3 Des Moines Marriott Hotel Des Moines Marriott Hotel 365 (111) 33 1981 Des Moines Hotel
4 Financial Center Financial Center, from 1973 until 1975 the tallest building in Des Moines 345 (105) 25 1973 Des Moines Office
5 Plaza Building The Plaza Building 340 (104) 25 1985 Des Moines Residential
T6 HUB Tower HUB Tower 325 (99) 25 1986 Des Moines Office
T6 EMC Insurance Building EMC Insurance Building 325 (99) 19 1997 Des Moines Office
8 Equitable Building The Equitable Building, from 1924 until 1973 the tallest building in Des Moines 318 (97) 19 1924 Des Moines Residential
9 Alliant Tower 285 (87) 21 1972 Cedar Rapids Office - Tallest building outside of Des Moines
10 Iowa State Capitol 275 (84) 4 1884 Des Moines Government
11 CenturyLink Complex 273 (83) 15 1928 Des Moines Office
12 Davenport Bank and Trust 255 (77) 19 1927 Davenport Office/Residential - Tallest Building outside of Des Moines and Cedar Rapids
13 Register and Tribune Building 243 (74) 14 1916 Des Moines Office
14 Cedar River Tower 237 (72) 25 1974 Cedar Rapids Residential/Office
15 MidAmerican Building 220 (67) 15 1995 Davenport Office
16 Plaza 425 207 (63) 14 1983 Cedar Rapids Office
17 Dubuque County Courthouse 205 (62) 5 1893 Dubuque Government
18 The Chauncey Chauncey Building Iowa City 191 (58) 15 2019 Iowa City Hotel/Residential
19T Des Moines Building 190 (58) 14 1930 Des Moines Office/Residential
19T Quaker Oats Plant 190 (58) 13 1927 Cedar Rapids Industrial
21 OpenLoop Tower (previously Bank of America Building) 186 (57) 14 1966 Des Moines Office
22 Two Ruan Center 185 (56) 14 1982 Des Moines Office
23 CRST Tower 180 (54) 11 2017 Cedar Rapids Office
24 Veterans Memorial Building 175 (53) 10 1927 Cedar Rapids Government
25T Liberty Building 174 (53) 12 1923 Des Moines Mixed Use
25T Fleming Building 174 (53) 11 1909 Des Moines Office
27T Hippee Building 172 (52) 12 1913 Des Moines Office
27T Davis Brown Tower 172 (52) 13 2008 Des Moines Office
29 Badgerow Building 169 (52) 12 1933 Sioux City Office
30 US Bank Building 166 (50) 12 1926 Cedar Rapids Office
31 Polk County Courthouse 160 (48) 4 1906 Des Moines Government
32 Hubbell Building 150 (45) 10 1913 Des Moines Residential

Note: Churches have been omitted from this list.

Years as Tallest Name Height

ft (m)

Floors
1884–1924 Iowa State Capitol 275 (84) n/a
1924–1973 Equitable Building 318 (97) 19
1973–1975 Financial Center 345 (105) 25
1975–1991 Ruan Center 460 (140) 36
1991–Present 801 Grand 630 (192) 45

Tall buildings prior to 1884

Ladies' College Building, Davenport, 1856, later Mount Ida Female College.
Mount Ida Female College in 1858, after dome was added.

There does not seem to have been any effort to document the tallest building in Iowa prior to the construction of the State Capitol in 1884. This list shows buildings which may have been the tallest in Iowa prior to 1884, excluding church steeples.

Years as Tallest Name Height

ft (m)

Floors
1840–1856 Old Capitol, Iowa City 114 (35) n/a
1856–1884 Shot Tower, Dubuque 120 (37) 10

Other early tall building include:

References

  1. ^ Nathan Howe Parker, Iowa as it is in 1856: a gazetteer for citizens, 1856
  2. ^ Wilkie, Franc B. (1858), Davenport, past and present
  3. ^ Jackson, Donald (1958) "Old Fort Madison 1808–1813." Palimpsest 39(1).
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