The historic Des Moines City Hall has closed to the public as the city transitions its operations to the former Nationwide building at 1200 Locust St.

The building at 400 Robert D. Ray Drive served as the hub of city of Des Moines business for more than 114 years. All city offices from the historic city hall and the Argonne Armory have already moved or are in the process of moving, officials said.

The Des Moines City Council voted to purchase the five-story, 371,000-square-foot building and adjacent parking garage in 2022, saying it would allow the city to consolidate offices that were spread across five buildings, a move that would improve efficiency and reduce overcrowding.

“While this move represents a change for residents who have visited the historic city hall for 114 years, we are confident that the new City Hall facility is going to be a benefit to our residents who can now access more of their city services in one place,” Assistant City Manager Matt Anderson said in an emailed statement. “We are already seeing how this building is allowing for more collaboration and efficiency as we work to provide the best services for the city of Des Moines.” 

Other city offices affected by the move are those at River Place on Euclid Avenue and those currently in the Richard Clark Center.

All customer service functions from the historic City Hall have been relocated from the building, and residents needing services from the city clerk, finance, engineering and city manager’s offices can visit the new T.M. Franklin Cownie City Administration Building downtown.

The police department’s move is several years away, officials have said.

Carrie Kruse, the city’s economic development administrator, said staff is in active discussions about the future of the historic City Hall, but aren’t close to a project to redevelop the building.

She said the city is considering doing a few event rentals over the summer and fall once the building is cleared out while it works on larger reuse plans.

Residents can track progress of the city’s move at DSM.city/Moving. 

In all, about 500 city employees will make the move.

The city has entered into negotiations with Omaha, Neb. based White Lotus Group for redevelopment of the armory.

A ribbon cutting for the new city hall is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 9, just prior to the first city council meeting in the new building.

American Equity Investment Life Insurance Co. will also move to the former Nationwide space at 1100 Locust St.

The company announced in May 2024 that it would move its headquarters downtown from 6000 Westown Parkway in West Des Moines. Construction on that space is continuing as the company works to open up the space to improve the workforce culture for the about 650 employees it will bring downtown.

The company has previously said it plans to complete its move during the first quarter of this year.