The demolition of Kaleidoscope at the Hub is underway in downtown Des Moines. The once-popular indoor mall and food court, located at 515 Walnut St., is being razed to make way for a 33-story, mixed-use office tower. The high-rise would include 390 apartment units and street-level commercial space. Construction of the project, estimated to cost $140 million, could begin yet this year, Joe Teeling, the project’s developer, has said. Kaleidoscope at the Hub, which also includes office space, was built in the mid-1980s. Its upper-level food court was once a bustling place during weekday lunch hours. In recent years, as retailers left the space, the food court – and the entire building – became desolate. The building was shuttered earlier this year. Teeling has said that once the building is demolished, it could take up to three months to remove the rubble. Photos by John Retzlaff