You are here

Preferred Risk Insurance Company

-A A +A
1967, Brooks, Borg and Skiles. 1979–1980, addition. 1111 Ashworth Rd., West Des Moines

Strange, vastly overscaled pairs of extended concrete beams suggest that the architect may have been thinking in terms of modern Japanese architecture as it emerged after World War II. Between these pierced beams and their brick supports is a continuous band of glass for both floors of the building. To add to the visual richness of the design, each of the supporting piers has been placed on concrete supports penetrated by a single arch. The narrow sides of the building exhibit dramatic cantilevered balconies. The 1979–1980 addition to the structure essentially placed the new space underground, with an aboveground cafeteria connecting the new addition with the old. The building is located in a suburban setting; it is approached axially down a long driveway that ends in a turnaround.

Writing Credits

Author: 
David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim
×

Data

What's Nearby

Citation

David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim, "Preferred Risk Insurance Company", [West Des Moines, Iowa], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/IA-01-CE194.

If SAH Archipedia has been useful to you, please consider supporting it.

SAH Archipedia tells the story of the United States through its buildings, landscapes, and cities. This freely available resource empowers the public with authoritative knowledge that deepens their understanding and appreciation of the built environment. But the Society of Architectural Historians, which created SAH Archipedia with University of Virginia Press, needs your support to maintain the high-caliber research, writing, photography, cartography, editing, design, and programming that make SAH Archipedia a trusted online resource available to all who value the history of place, heritage tourism, and learning.

,