The Equitable Life Assurance Company Building (later Bankers Trust Building) , Des Moines, IA.
Constructed 1891-92, demolished 1980. Photo: Library of Congress
For many years my grandfather's law firm was on the top floor of the Bankers Trust Building in Des Moines so when I saw the Library of Congress information about the Equitable Life Assurance Building, I was intrigued. The Bankers Trust Building began its life as the Equitable Life Assurance Company Building and was constructed in 1891-92. The Boston-based architectural firm which designed the building, Andrews, Jacques, and Rantoul, was led by Robert Day Andrews, who had worked in H. H. Richardson's architectural practice before starting his own firm in 1885. The similarities in the Richardsonian Romanesque style of the Equitable Assurance Building and the Ames Building (1889-93, see photo below) built in Boston and designed by the successor firm to Richardson's firm, Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge, are worthy of note although the method of construction differs significantly: the Ames Building is a masonry building, the frame of the Equitable was cast iron. The Boston Evening Transcript deemed the construction of the Equitable Building worthy of notice in January of 1891, noting that each suite of rooms "will have its private vault and all toilet conveniences" and that the building would cost more than $500,000 to construct. Office suites also had open fireplaces, an interesting addition for the time period.
Ames Building. Boston, MA Built 1889-93. Photo: Author's collection.
Equitable Life Assurance Building, Des Moines, IA. 1911 addition.
Photo: Library of Congress
The Equitable Building originally had eight stories but in 1911 four more stories were added. The addition was designed by Proudfoot, Bird, and Rawson, a large Des Moines-based architectural firm notable for their Theodore Roosevelt High School design, among others. An excellent summary of the firm's practice which began in 1882 as Proudfoot and Bird can be found here. Proudfoot, an Indianola native, also took courses at M.I.T. in Boston in 1884-85, where he would have been exposed to the work of H.H. Richardson and other Boston architects. Rawson, a later partner in the firm, was also M.I.T. trained, having graduated in the class of 1896.
Downtown Des Moines, IA. c. 1935
Postcard Author's Collection
Around 1920, Frederick Hubbell acquired the Equitable for Bankers Trust, resulting in a name change for the building. In the 1920s and 1930s other downtown buildings began to exceed the Equitable's height.The postcard above, postmarked 1935, shows downtown Des Moines with the Equitable Life Assurance Company Building, labeled here as Bankers Trust, circled. Late 19th century office buildings like the Equitable generally wouldn't survive until the 21st century, and the Equitable Building was no exception. Bankers Trust moved into the Ruan Building in 1975, and by 1980 the Equitable Life Assurance Building had been torn down. It's a shame that the building didn't hold on until the rebirth of downtown Des Moines: one has to think the Equitable Building would have made ideal condominium or apartment space, given the en suite bathrooms and fireplaces.
