EMC Insurance Office to Replace Downtown Des Moines Buildings

An insurance company plans to begin demolishing three downtown Des Moines, Iowa, structures to make room for a new office building.

EMC Insurance spokeswoman Lisa Hamilton tells The Des Moines Register that crews will begin tearing down the three brick buildings next week.

The century-old Foster Building, Robertson Building and an annex will be replaced by a four-story building that will house an employee gym and provide meeting and storage space. The new building is expected to cost between $12 million and $20 million.

Some preservationists have objected to the building demolitions, but Hamilton says remodeling has left the building interiors with little historic value.