The Observatory Building, also known as the Van Ginkel Building, was a skyscraper located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. Standing at 197 ft tall and heralded as "the tallest office building between Chicago and San Francisco" when opened on April 1, 1896, it was also the first skyscraper in Iowa. Although it was the tallest office building, the Observatory Bu…The Observatory Building, also known as the Van Ginkel Building, was a skyscraper located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. Standing at 197 ft tall and heralded as "the tallest office building between Chicago and San Francisco" when opened on April 1, 1896, it was also the first skyscraper in Iowa. Although it was the tallest office building, the Observatory Building was not the tallest building in Des Moines, the Iowa State Capitol, completed in 1884, was 275 ft tall.
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