Blue awning of the Mulberry Street Tavern exterior of Surety Hotel Interior view of Mulberry Street Tavern inside Surety Hotel a bar is lined with orange velvet chairs below a warm wood ceiling Two people sit on couches in the lobby of the Surety Hotel in downtown Des Moines A long table sits below the atrium with angled windows on the ceiling and large doors opening to a brick patio A modern hotel room at the Surety Hotel overlooks the courthouse in downtown Des Moines
Limited Asks from Historic Tax Credits

Opened in 1913, the Hippee Building was built to house The Iowa Loan & Trust Company. The 12-story Beaux-Arts Classicism style building—more recently known as the Midland Building—was once Iowa’s tallest skyscraper. Through the Surety Hotel project, the space was reimagined as a 138-room boutique hotel, aptly named after a surety bond and paying homage to the building’s origins.

Front of House Drives Back of House

In addition to hotel rooms on its higher floors, the new hotel includes a restaurant on the ground floor to help draw in the public as well as event spaces with a 200-person ballroom. The design also leverages the forgotten courtyard space, which offers a unique outdoor space in the heart of the city for private events and restaurant functions.

Specific to Place

One of the core sources of inspiration for this project was its location and context in downtown Des Moines. Repurposing this historical steel high-rise restores the original beauty of its flat clay tile arch floors, masonry exterior, terra cotta walls, and brick with terra cotta detailing. Materials like marble, hand-applied artisan plaster, hardwood millwork, leather and gilded metals help tie the hotel’s interiors to its rich history.

Apartment building in downtown Des Moines named Level dusk shot
Level /
Financial Center lobby in downtown Des Moines, Iowa
The Financial Center Apartments / /
Lobby at Eide Bailly
Eide Bailly /