KDSN RADIO News
Governor Reynolds says Wallace State Office Building should be torn down
Governor Kim Reynolds is recommending that a prominent state-owned building that’s been in poor condition for decades be torn down.
The 48-year-old Wallace State Office Building — just across the street from the state capitol in Des Moines — has a southern facade that reflects the image of the capitol building. The windows and roof leak, though, and some employees have said they’ve suffered from “sick building syndrome.” The last group of employees still working in the building are relocating to another building this spring. It’s now up to legislators to decide what to do next.
“We understand there have been problems with the Wallace Building. Right now no decisions have been made about what we’re going to do with that, but we’re starting the discussion,” said Representative Gary Mohr, a Republican from Bettendorf who is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. “We know something has to change there.”
The governor has submitted a piece of legislation that would authorize “disposal” of the building and an adjacent parking structure, but she hasn’t said whether the property should be put up for sale. Mohr is wary of selling.
“I’m hestitant to give up that property because it’s state property and it’s close to the state capitol. I don’t think we need to make a quick decision on that because once we give it up, we might not get it back,” Mohr told Radio Iowa. “…These decisions will last 30 to 40 to 50 years.”
The Wallace Building is in a neighborhood called the Des Moines East Village. The area has undergone a renaissance in the past two decades. Retail areas and housing are still being added. Four state agencies have been housed in the Wallace State Office Building at one time or another.
The Wallace Building was named for Henry A. Wallace, the founder of Pioneer Hi-Bred and President Franklin Roosevelt’s first Secretary of Agriculture. He served one term as Roosevelt’s vice president. After the 1944 election, Roosevelt appointed Wallace Secretary of Commerce and President Truman kept him in the role.
