CITY COUNCIL TO HONOR LEGACY OF MAYOR COWNIE WITH NAMING OF NEW CITY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING

DES MOINES, IOWA — Thursday, December 21, 2023 — It took six words to stun Mayor Frank Cownie last night.

A linen was pulled off an easel and revealed “T.M. Franklin Cownie City Administration Building” as the City Council’s planned name for the former Nationwide building in downtown Des Moines. The city’s longest-serving mayor says that he was humbled by the surprise recognition.

“I am honored beyond words,” Mayor Cownie said. “Serving as the mayor of Des Moines has been my greatest privilege for 20 years, and I am so grateful for the time I spent with every one of you in this role.”

The name reveal came after the City of Des Moines officially closed on its purchase of the former Nationwide building at 1200 Locust Street Wednesday, over a year after City Council approved a purchase agreement for the building. The name is expected to be made official at the City Council meeting on January 8, 2024.

“This name is a thank you for two decades of leadership accomplishment,” Ward 1 Councilor Chris Coleman said. “Mayor Cownie had a vision for the transformation of downtown Des Moines that came to life over the past twenty years and it’s fitting that this downtown landmark will bear his name.”

City Council approved the $30 million purchase price for the building in September of 2022 and authorized a feasibility study in December 2022 before completing financing for the building purchase and initial renovations earlier this year. The purchase price for the 340,000-square-foot building comes in at less than $90 per square-foot, well below the market rate for new construction of office space in Des Moines which is currently estimated between $300-400 per square-foot.

“This purchase will have a transformative effect on our residents and the entire city,” City Manager Scott Sanders said. “Bringing together our City departments and services in this building will allow our Organization to collaborate and serve our residents, and all who do business with the City of Des Moines, more effectively.”

The City now has the keys to the building, but it will be 2026 before City employees will call it their permanent office. Plans are currently in design for Phase 1 of renovations to the building, and construction is expected to start in the next year for the initial phase.

The initial work will renovate levels 1-4 of the eastern half of the building with new public meeting spaces, a new customer service hub and space for several administrative departments currently located in four different facilities. Construction is estimated to begin in late 2024 and last through the end of 2025.

“This will bring employees from several locations who work together frequently under one roof,” Sanders said. “Not only will it allow our employees to collaborate more effectively, the addition of a customer service hub will provide a focal point for residents and all those who do business with the city to get their permitting, licensing and other needs taken care of in one place.”

Once complete, it is anticipated that Phase 1 will relocate City Employees from the Civil and Human Rights Department, Housing Services, Human Resources, Development Services, Neighborhood Services, Information Technology, and Engineering Departments to the new facility.