Charles Herbert & Assoc. Architects won the AIA Central States Region Award of Excellence for this precast concrete building in the “Brutalist” style, built in 1979. Béton brut (French pronunciation: [betɔ̃ bʁy]), or raw concrete is architectural concrete left unfinished or roughly-finished after pouring and left exposed visually. The imprint of the wood or plywood form used for pouring the concrete is present on the final surface, which you can see or feel upon closer examination.
It was the result of a heroic effort on the behalf of Des Moines business leaders, who formed a privately held, not for profit corporation to build and run a new state-of-the-art performing arts facility, raising the funds in fewer than 90 days.
The Civic Center is noted for its acoustics, and no seat is more than 145 feet away from the stage. All seats are on one level. The main hall features a 76 X 28 foot high proscenium stage, the focal point for a fan-shaped continental seating area that accommodates an audience of 2,734, and the Stoner Studio Theater can seat up to 200 people. 221 Walnut ST, Des. Moines, IA 50309