The Weitz Company and Orascom USA Welcome Guests to their New Headquarters in Downtown Des Moines
The Weitz Company and Orascom USA, alongside Knapp Properties LC and JSC Properties, hosted an open house at 611 5th Ave on June 23rd, 2022 – celebrating a new chapter in Downtown Des Moines, Iowa.
Des Moines, IA – Culminating an extensive office remodeling project, the open house celebration welcomed the local community into the new company headquarters of The Weitz Company and Orascom USA. The extensive office remodeling project began in 2020 when Knapp Properties LC was interested in modernizing the building with a flagship tenant. Weitz has had several offices across Des Moines over the 167 years in business, most recently operating in two locations: 420 Watson Powell Jr. Way and 5901 Thornton Ave.
The benefits of bringing the full staff of The Weitz Company, and Orascom USA, into one headquarters are immeasurable. Our organization is excited to be back downtown in this central location, and energized about the future growth this new chapter will bring to our employees, and the community of Des Moines.
Mike Tousley, General Manager – Iowa
The open house welcomed the clients, employees, and friends of Weitz, Knapp Properties, and JSC Properties to view the finished space, celebrate the project completion, and showcase the availability still remaining in this ideal Downtown Des Moines location. Throughout the open house, several employees of all three companies gave tours of the newly remodeled building. Visitors had a chance to learn more about the historic mid-century-style building’s history and step onto the recently opened rooftop overlooking the Des Moines skyline. Alongside the tours, there were catered appetizers by the Des Moines Embassy Club, decorative cookies, a massive balloon arch with a selfie station, and personalized hammers for guests to take home with them to commemorate the historic move for The Weitz Company.
Having partnered with many clients here in Des Moines on their construction projects; it was exciting to work on a building for ourselves! It is especially rewarding to bring a beautiful, underutilized downtown building back to life and call it our home. I’m grateful to everyone who attended our open house to help us celebrate.
Vince Ward, Business Development Director, The Weitz Company – Iowa
In the 611 5th Ave remodeling project, the project team, and the architect, Substance Architecture, updated the core and shell of the building and included new windows to bring back the original “ribbon” of windows from 1954. The core and shell project included 126,000SF of new elevators, complete replacement of the building’s mechanical, electrical, and plumbing equipment, new fireproofing, and a beautiful rooftop overlooking Downtown Des Moines. Alongside the core and shell, The Weitz Company included 41,000SF of tenant improvement pieces to their headquarters like polished concrete floors, exposed ceilings, and raw steel elements to showcase the long history of the building and reflect The Weitz Company’s 167-year-old history as well.
The 5-story building is located on the corner of Watson Powell Jr. Way and 5th Avenue in Downtown Des Moines and is across the street from the Hilton Des Moines Downtown, a project The Weitz Company completed in March 2018.
The Weitz Company
611 5th Avenue, Suite 300
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
About The Weitz Company
The Weitz Company of today descends from a small carpentry shop founded in 1855 in Fort Des Moines, Iowa, by Charles H. Weitz, an entrepreneurial German immigrant. As the construction company grew, Charles Weitz handed down his craft, sense of values and quality to his sons, who in turn passed the family business on to their children for four generations. Always an innovator, The Weitz Company pioneered the development of precast concrete exterior wall construction and became one of the largest producers of architectural precast concrete. During World War II, The Weitz Company supported the war effort by constructing ammunition plants in record time. Weitz emerged as an employee-owned company in March 1995 when 36 stockholders purchased the business debt-free from the Weitz family. The number of employee shareholders continued to grow to more than 300 in the mid-2000s. During that time, The Weitz Company grew from a $250 million general contractor to a $1 billion industry leader. In December 2012, Weitz was purchased by global engineering and construction contractor Orascom Construction PLC, positioning the company for even further growth and construction opportunities both nationally and internationally.
