Iowa’s 3rd Tallest Building To Start Construction Next Year

Iowa's capital city is about to get another skyscraper. The 40-story building, The Fifth, will be built between Court Avenue and Walnut Street in Des Moines, along Fifth Avenue. Its cost is expected to be at least $170 million.

Construction is expected to start on the tower in 2019, with completion in 2021. When it's done, it will stand more than 450-feet tall. The only two buildings in Iowa that are taller are the 45-story Des Moines building called 801 Grand and the Ruan Center, also in Des Moines. 801 Grand is 45 stories, and 630-feet tall, while Ruan Center has 36 stories and is 460 feet.

When finished, Des Moines will have all ten of the tallest buildings in Iowa. Cedar Rapids' tallest building is #11, the Alliant Tower. Built in 1972, it is 285-feet and 21 stories.

Last year at this time, it appeared Cedar Rapids was going to get its own new high rise. One Park Place was to be a 28-story building, at a cost of more than $100 million. It was to be built along 1st St. SE in downtown Cedar Rapids, between 3rd and 4th Avenue. However, according to the Gazette, the developer didn't meet a deadline imposed by the city late last year. The future of that parcel of land in downtown Cedar Rapids is currently undetermined.