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07 February 2012

Equitable Life Assurance Building, Des Moines, IA, 1891-92



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.

02 February 2012

Flatiron Building, New York City, 1902


Panorama of Flatiron Building.

In my previous post I mentioned Daniel Burnham's iconic Flatiron Building in New York City.  The Library of Congress has a short film showing that building in 1902.

From the Library of Congress description:

Copyright title: Panorama of Flatiron Building [New York City]
CREATED/PUBLISHED
United States : American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1903.
SUMMARY
This shows a view looking south from Madison Square, across the intersection of Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and Twenty-third Street, to the famous Fuller (or "Flatiron") Building. The cameraman elevates his camera, going from street level to the roof. Designed by D.H. Burnham and Company, the Fuller Building is an important early skyscraper and a New York City landmark. Known as the first great steel-framed building, the exterior of the lower three stories is stone, with the remainder clad in terra cotta. Twenty-one stories high, it is considered the first tall building erected north of city hall. Its completion in 1902 marked the beginning of New York City's first skyscraper era.
NOTES
Copyright: American Mutoscope & Biograph Co.; 4June1903; H32387.
Duration: 1:00 at 15 fps.
Camera, Robert K. Bonine.
MAVIS 1629085; Panorama of Flatiron Building.
Photographed October 8, 1902. Location: New York, N.Y.

Filene's Site in Boston Gets New Developer


Filene's Building and Washington Street, c. 1915

The Boston Globe reports today that the hole in Downtown Crossing left by the demolition of the extension to the historic Filene's Building has a new developer.  The extension was demolished in 2008 to prepare for an office/condominium tower which never got out of the ground.  The historic portion of the building, seen above in the center of the postcard, was designed by the architect Daniel Burnham as his last commission.  He died before the completion of the building in 1912.  Burnham is perhaps best known today as the architect of New York City's iconic Flatiron Building and for his work with the Chicago Columbian Exposition of 1893.


1893 Columbian Exposition, Chicago
Library of Congress Photo


 Flatiron Building, New York City
Library of Congress Photo