The Hotel Fort Des Moines is an historic building located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
History
The three original promoters of the hotel were Des Moines businessmen E.T. Meredith, Frederick C. Hubbell and Norman M. Wilchinski. The Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson designed the building, which opened in 1919. Twelve United States presidents, including Woodrow Wilson, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon and George H.W. Bush were guests in the hotel. Other notable guests have included actress Mae West, aviator Charles Lindbergh and Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev.
Architecture
The hotel is an eleven story building that rises 140 feet (43 m) above the ground. There are two floors below ground and the building contains three elevators. The hotel rooms are in a nine-story U-shaped tower that allows for increased light and air circulation for more rooms. It sits on a two-story base that houses the public rooms and commercial space. The exterior of the building can be divided into three sections visually: the base, the shaft and the crown. The ornamentation is concentrated on the lower floors and near the top just below the cornice line.
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