801 Grand

801 Grand
View of the north-east corner of 801 Grand. 711 High Street, the headquarters of Principal Financial Group, is in the foreground
General information
Location	801 Grand Avenue Des Moines, Iowa, United States
Construction started	1989
Completed	1991
Owner	Principal Financial Group
Height
Roof	630 feet
Technical details
Floor count	45
Design and construction
Architect	HOK

Coordinates: 41°35′14″N 93°37′43″W / 41.5872°N 93.6285°W / 41.5872; -93.6285

801 Grand, also known as the Principal Building, is a skyscraper in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It is named after its street address, being located along Grand Avenue in the downtown area of the city between 8th and 9th Streets, with High Street the northern border. Completed in 1991 and standing at 630 feet (190 m), it is currently the tallest building in the state of Iowa, and the tallest building from Chicago to Omaha and from Minneapolis to Tulsa.

The building consists mainly of office space, which is largely occupied by its owner, Principal Financial Group. The lower three floors contain retail and restaurant space, including the 801 Steak & Chop House, and provide a connection to Des Moines' skywalk system. Other tenants include the law firms of McKee, Voorhees, & Sease; Bradshaw, Fowler, Proctor & Fairgrave; and Faegre Baker Daniels.

801 Grand's roof is made out of copper sheeting that was designed to form a green coating of verdigris over time, much like the Statue of Liberty. However, unlike New York City, the air salt content in Des Moines was so low that the desired oxidation process failed. The result was the copper turned a dark brown. Discussions on possible removal of the top layer of copper that would allow crews to purposely cause the oxidation process to create verdigris resulted in the decision to leave the roof as is.