List of tallest buildings in Iowa

Summary

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

Skyline of Des Moines

Tallest buildings edit

Rank Name Image Height

ft (m)

Floors Year City Notes
1 801 Grand (previously The Principal Building)   630 (192) 45 1991 Des Moines Office
2 Ruan Center   460 (140) 36 1975 Des Moines Office
3 Des Moines Marriott Hotel   365 (111) 33 1981 Des Moines Hotel
4 Financial Center   345 (105) 25 1973 Des Moines Office
5 Plaza Building   340 (104) 25 1985 Des Moines Residential
T6 HUB Tower   325 (99) 25 1986 Des Moines Office
T6 EMC Insurance Building   325 (99) 19 1997 Des Moines Office
8 Equitable Building   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   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.

Tallest buildings: Site Prep or Under Construction edit

Name Picture Height Floors Year City
The Fifth 466 40 ? Des Moines
515 Walnut ? 33 2024 Des Moines

Timeline of Tallest Buildings edit

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 edit

 
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:

  • Mount Ida Female College, Davenport, 1856. First four-story dwelling, later had a high dome placed on top, may have rivaled Old Capitol in height.[1][2]
  • Fort Madison, 1808, probably the first two-story buildings in what would become Iowa.[3]

References edit

  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).