Home Federal Savings and Loan Association of Des Moines Building

The Home Federal Savings and Loan Association of Des Moines Building, also known as American Federal Savings and the Catholic Pastoral Center, is a historic building located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Completed in 1962, it is considered to be "one of the most well-known examples of mid-century modern architecture in Des Moines."[2] It was designed by the prominent Chicago architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and it is one of the first steel and glass modernist buildings in the city's downtown. Initially, the roof was designed to be suspended from two lengthwise trusses, similar van der Rohe's designs at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.[3] That design was abdoned for a simpler and more direct design that features a steel-frame, glass-infill, and granite and travertine marble on the base. The three-story building rises to the height of 40.25 feet (12.27 m).[4] It was built for the Home Federal Savings and Loan Association of Des Moines and later American Federal Savings, which failed in 1990 amid the country's Savings and loan crisis. There was concern that the building would be torn down so the Des Moines City Council designated it as a local landmark. In 1992 philanthropist Ed Ochylski acquired it and donated it to the Diocese of Des Moines, who converted it into their headquarters. From 2016 to 2017, the building underwent a $10 million renovation. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.[1]

Home Federal Savings and Loan Association of Des Moines Building
The building in 2021
Location601 Grand Ave.
Des Moines, Iowa
Coordinates41°35′16.9″N 93°37′32.8″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1962
ArchitectLudwig Mies van der Rohe
Architectural styleModernist
NRHP reference No.100000561[1]
Added to NRHPJanuary 24, 2017

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. Joel Aschbrenner (May 3, 2016). "Hidden architectural gem to get $10 million makeover". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines. Retrieved 2017-10-12.
  3. David Gebhard; Gerald Mansheim. "Home Federal Savings and Loan (now American Federal Savings)". Archipedia. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
  4. "Catholic Pastoral Center". Emporis. Retrieved 2017-10-12.


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