Friday, June 17, 2011

Project365: Day 167 - Hawkeye Insurance

It's been quite some time since I did a local history lesson with my photo of the day. Today was the first Iowa Architectural Foundation Downtown Walking Tour of the summer, so what better day for a little Des Moines' architectural history?!

The Hawkeye Insurance Building, designed by local architect William Foster, was completed in 1872. It is the oldest remaining commercial building in Downtown Des Moines.

The Hawkeye Insurance Company was the first successful casualty insurance company in Des Moines. It was founded by Ebenezer J. Ingersoll, who has a major road in town named after him.

The building was renovated into the Hawkeye Hotel in 1957, then into apartments in the 1960s. In 1985, the building exterior was restored and the interior was converted back to offices.

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