The Blackbird proposal for the same property had the city Forcing Mandelbaum to move up the timeline and Mandelbaum couldn't pull that off. That Blackbird proposal for a 35 story tower for that site was never a serious proposal, can't believe the city fell for that. But it achieved it's goal of eliminating the competition. Would have been nice to have that 40 story 452 ft tower though.
What’s happening to Des Moines?
- Thread starter ClonesTwenty1
- Start date
Oh right, Blackbird is what I was thinking of.
It was crazy if I remember. Movie theater, rock climbing wall
I’ll admit I was young(er) and naive to think that would actually go through haha
Mandelbaum was the one that had the 40 story tower, garage, and on the Court Ave side the movie theatre and rock climbing wall. Black Bird had a 29 floor proposal for the old Yonkers spot. So while Blackbird had the 29 floor project, they simultaneously put in for another development for a 35 story tower on the Mandelbaum site.
Looks like after 8 years and some back and forth action, the city gave the new developer the green light to break ground next month on a 33 story building at 515 walnut. That will be a nice addition the skyline
As ISU_Guy mentioned, this looks like a go. Des Moines finally getting a tower. Here is the DMR story.
Downtown Des Moines is getting a new skyscraper. Here's what to know about 515 Walnut
With the 33-story tower fully financed, according to the developer, and City Council on board, 515 Walnut is officially coming to downtown Des Moines.
www.desmoinesregister.com
515 Walnut tower update. 6 more floors to go before it tops out, but it already looks great on the skyline. Video in link.
www.kcci.com
Inside the 515 Tower project transforming the Des Moines skyline
The 515 Tower, a 33-story skyscraper in downtown Des Moines, is changing the city skyline and will feature high-end and affordable apartments when completed in 2027.
www.kcci.com
515 Walnut tower update. 6 more floors to go before it tops out, but it already looks great on the skyline. Video in link.
Inside the 515 Tower project transforming the Des Moines skyline
The 515 Tower, a 33-story skyscraper in downtown Des Moines, is changing the city skyline and will feature high-end and affordable apartments when completed in 2027.
This is good news. If I know one thing to be true, it's that downtown Des Moines has a real shortage of office space.
This is good news. If I know one thing to be true, it's that downtown Des Moines has a real shortage of office space.
its not an office tower though
Very cool.515 Walnut tower update. 6 more floors to go before it tops out, but it already looks great on the skyline. Video in link.
Inside the 515 Tower project transforming the Des Moines skyline
The 515 Tower, a 33-story skyscraper in downtown Des Moines, is changing the city skyline and will feature high-end and affordable apartments when completed in 2027.
That makes my joke not nearly as funny.
I still wonder who wants to live downtown nowadays. My wife works there and its dead during the week. A lot of the big employers have pulled out and moved west, or gone more remote. I wouldn't want to be investing my money in that in the year 2026.
This sounds like a take from someone who would have never considered living there anyway.That makes my joke not nearly as funny.
I still wonder who wants to live downtown nowadays. My wife works there and its dead during the week. A lot of the big employers have pulled out and moved west, or gone more remote. I wouldn't want to be investing my money in that in the year 2026.
While covid put a dent in some of the progress, most all downtown housing that exists has come about in the past twenty years and the trend has been positive. This has also helped commercial development because there are more people down there during non work hours than ever.
If/when my kids graduate and move out my wife and I are considering moving downtown. Of all the things we enjoy doing downtown has that in spades.That makes my joke not nearly as funny.
I still wonder who wants to live downtown nowadays. My wife works there and its dead during the week. A lot of the big employers have pulled out and moved west, or gone more remote. I wouldn't want to be investing my money in that in the year 2026.
My daughter is 25 and her apartment is about a block from where the 515 Tower is going up. Loves it.That makes my joke not nearly as funny.
I still wonder who wants to live downtown nowadays. My wife works there and its dead during the week. A lot of the big employers have pulled out and moved west, or gone more remote. I wouldn't want to be investing my money in that in the year 2026.
Fair enough, we have different perspectives. My wife has worked downtown for 25 years, and it's more dead now than then. The amount of lunch restaurants are down, parking ramps have a ton more space, skywalks and sidewalks have anecdotally less people.
But she's also there exact opposite times of all these people in this thread, M-F, 9 - 5. :shrug:
Accurate. Downtown lunch hour was lively up to 2020, I have never seen it return to the amount of people it was.
We had the same talk a few years ago and even recently when Keith Murphy shared where he moved to (condo just east of that downtown river pagoda) after living in Beaverdale for a long time.
Everyone that I know that lives downtwon loves it. I have young people at work and that is where they generally would prefer to look. They at least explore the possiblity to see if they can afford it. My brother is in his upper 50s and really likes it. My sister in law lives in the Equitable Building. She said when units become available they don't stay on the market long. Anything on the upper floors that becomes available is gobbled up right away, mostly by people who already live on the lower floors.
