Des Moines Skywalk System
The Des Moines Skywalk System is a climate controlled, 4.2 mile long bridge that connects 55 buildings and 12 parking ramps together. Its history goes back to 1971 Throughout the system, there are multiple skywalk to sidewalk transfers featuring stairs or escalators and elevators to take people down to the outdoor sidewalk. All bridges are city-owned and the city assumes a 14 foot pedestrian corridor or easement area through various privately owned buildings. Skywalk hours are 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week, providing late-night and early-morning access to skywalk users.
The bridges in the system connect to either the second or third floor of various buildings in the downtown area. Many downtown apartment buildings are connected to the skywalk system, allowing ease of access to shopping, entertainment, and work.
History[edit]
The history of the Downtown Skywalk System goes back to 1971 with a single pedestrian bridge, which linked the J.C. Penney store and a parking garage on the southeast corner of Walnut Street and Fifth Avenue.
The concept of the Downtown Skywalk System, however, goes back to the early 1960s, when Harland Bartholomew and Associates from St. Louis, Missouri was hired by the Greater Des Moines Chamber of Commerce to draw up a new idea for the downtown. The idea was that if parking garages around the fringe were built and connected to office buildings by elevated walkways, it could reduce traffic in the downtown area. Bartholomew's plan was to build exposed walkways, however, plans were changed and the bridges were modeled after those in the Minneapolis Skyway System.
In 1974, plans for a more expansive system were surfaced as the Ruan Center and the Financial Center were under construction.
In 1981, the Des Moines Marriott Hotel opened. John Ruan, builder of the Marriott, suggested placing the hotel's ballroom on a multistory bridge that crossed over Locust Street connecting it with a planned parking garage. The ballroom got a lot of notice, but was turned down due to it ruining the view down Locust Street to the Iowa State Capitol.
During the Marriott's construction, city and business leaders created the foundation for public-private partnerships that were involved in choosing and paying for most of the skywalks in the system.
Today, the system extends from Second Avenue on the east to 12th Street on the west and from the Court Avenue district on the south to the Iowa Events Center.
Notable Buildings in the Skywalk System[edit]
- 801 Grand
- Ruan Center
- Iowa Events Center
- Liberty Building
- Des Moines Marriott Hotel
- Financial Center
- Hotel Fort Des Moines
- Des Moines Building
- Kaleidoscope at the Hub
- HUB Tower
Maps[edit]
Maps of the skywalk system can be found online at the city's website and posted in buildings connected to the skywalk.
References[edit]
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