Midland Savings & Loan (Hippee Building)

206 6th Street

Completed: 1912

Designed by architect Sawyer & Watrous. Constructed for $650,000 by contractor Selden Breck.

Beaux Arts Classical Skyscraper – “Chicago School”

• Base – shaft – capitol
• Entire top floor is the “capitol” of the column
• Terra cotta fluted columns with Doric capitols
• Materials include terra cotta and buff masonry

The original building owner and developer was George Hippee. He was a banker and streetcar magnate. In 1924, Hippee sold the building to the Southern Surety Company.

This was the tallest building in Des Moines from 1912 until 1917 when the Des Moines Register Building was built.

Restoration of lobby and storefront occurred in 2006, designed by Jeffrey Morgan Architecture Studio.