The grand lobby of the historic Hotel Fort Des Moines has been restored to its full, two-story elegance for the first time in more than five decades.
The historic downtown hotel, built in 1919, is undergoing a $50 million top-to-bottom renovation.
“Every square inch of this hotel is being touched,” owner Raj Patel said during a recent tour with the Des Moines Register. “We want to make sure it’s in tip-top shape for the next 100 years.”
Patel is chief development officer of Hawkeye Hotels, which purchased the Hotel Fort Des Moines for $4 million in 2015. The Coralville-based company is leaving no historic stone unturned in the multi-year makeover.
In addition to reopening the lobby to two stories, the developer is restoring the Grand Ballroom and Wedgewood Room that once served as backdrops for many notable Iowa caucus moments.
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