A dead mall
My recent visit to the capital and largest city of Iowa, Des Moines, was full of surprises. For a city of its size, it boasted a surprisingly tall and expansive central business district. It also served as host to quite a number of shopping malls, with the most unexpected being Kaleidoscope at the Hub, an urban vertical right in the heart of downtown.
1- The Des Moines skyline from the steps of the capitol building. 2- The gold domed Iowa State Capitol. 3- The Polk County Courthouse. 4- The State Library of Iowa. 5- The historic city hall on the eastern bank of the Des Moines River. 6- The lobby of downtown’s Equitable Building. 7- The quaint business district of the Oak Park/Highland Park neighborhood in north Des Moines. 8- Bars and shops along East Fifth Avenue. 9- The still under construction new passenger terminal at Des Moines International Airport. 10- The Des Moines skyline from the north at night.
After a walk from Iowa’s impressive state capitol, through the East Village neighborhood and over the Des Moines River on Grand Avenue, I found myself at the entrance to one of the other surprises that the midwestern city had in store for me, their considerable Skywalk system. I entered the extensive series of walkways at the Fourth and Grand parking garage.
1- Just inside the Skywalk system entrance at the Fourth and Grand parking deck. 2 & 3- The multi block system runs like a maze through most of downtown. 4- The Des Moines skyline from above Locust Street. 5 & 6- Inside Capital Square. 7- The Des Moines mural from the skywalk over Fifth Avenue. 8- Vacant office space within the skywalk system. 9- Smokey D’s BBQ, one of the many business located within the skywalks. 10- The corridor leading to the former shopping mall Kaleidoscope at the Hub.
My visit coincided with the middle of the workday, so the hallways were teeming with office workers making their way one level above the streets below. Though there were helpful maps and directories located at certain intervals, I decided just to get lost within the network of above ground tunnels.
After a visit to the impressive Capital Square building and past popular eateries such as Smokey D’s Barbecue and La Mie Elevate sandwich shop, I finally found my way to my intended destination. Its signature red and white checkerboard tile floors let me know that I had finally reached what was left of the Kaleidoscope at the Hub.
The exterior of Kaleidoscope at the Hub. (Source for all)
Located on the bottom two levels of the 25 floor, 325 foot high HUB Tower, the mall once served as downtown Des Moines’ retail core. While much of the original complex has been demolished, the western third of the facility still remains, though none of the store fronts seemed to be occupied save for a couple of eateries on the second level overlooking the main concourse.
I was delighted to see that much of what remained was still showing off all of its eighties glory. Beneath my feet were alternating tiles of crimson, beige and grey while above my head was a ceiling of translucent glass held aloft by repeating, half circle trusses. It was an absolute feast for the eyes.
1 to 4- The layered, vertical interior of Kaleidoscope at the Hub. 5 & 6- The former third level food court. 7 to 10- The main concourse of the now demolished mall. (Source for all)
At the eastern end of the main concourse’s upper level abutting Sixth Avenue was a blank wall, behind which still stands the disused skywalk once connecting the western third of the mall to the main two-thirds. This since dismantled structure was once home two tiers of retail topped by a third level food court hosting around ten eateries.
1 to 3- Preparations for the building’s demolition in 2023. 4 & 5- The exterior walls of Kaleidoscope at the Hub begin to fall. 6 to 8- The gutted exterior before being leveled. (Source for all)
I exited on Sixth Avenue underneath the disused skywalk, still being held aloft although nothing exists on its eastern end besides soil that was being moved for downtown’s newest development. While I was glad to see that some of the original center remained, it was sad to see another eighties built, urban vertical center lost in time.
Kaleidoscope at the Hub lease plan ca. 2005. View the full PDF version here.
Kaleidoscope at the Hub opened in 1985 as one of the largest downtown developments in Des Moines’ history. Built to stem the tide of retailers abandoning downtown for suburban centers such as Merle Haye Mall, The Southridge Mall and Valley West Mall, the nearly 50 million dollar facility debuted with a dismal occupancy rate of less than twenty percent.
1 to 5- The central portion of the extant western end of the former Kaleidoscope at the Hub including its connections to the Skywalk system. 6 to 10- All storefronts are vacant in the section of the former mall beneath the Hub Tower.
Hubbell Realty, the mall’s developers, eschewed more mid-market retailers in the hopes of attracting upscale labels to their development. Although it was connected via the skywalk system to the 1899 opened downtown Des Moines Younker Brothers store, the chain’s original, those high end vendors never showed up.
Some of the original tenants to open in Kaleidoscope at the Hub were eighties stalwarts Musicland, Ritz Camera, Johnston & Murphy and Laura Ashley in addition to some local names. Though respectable in their own rights, they were far below the upscale brands such as Gucci and Brooks Brothers that the developers had hoped for.
1 to 3- The upper level of the main western concourse of the former Kaleidoscope at the Hub. 4 to 8- More empty storefronts in the section's western end near the skywalk to the former Younkers store. 9 & 10- Near the stairs leading to the bottom level.
Though Kaleidoscope at the Hub did see its overall occupancy rise during the nineties and past the turn of the century, they never achieved their goal of being Des Moines’ upscale retail destination. In fact, the target of most of the foot traffic was the third level food court which teemed with visitors during working hours only to fall silent in the evening.
The ensuing years at the beginning of the new millennium proved challenging for Kaleidoscope at the Hub. Younkers, after 107 years at the site, closed their downtown flagship store in 2006. Following their vacancy, many of the mall’s few smaller retailers also made their way to the exits. There was hope as the former department store was being converted to lofts, but these plans were sidelined as half of the building burned in 2014.
1 & 2- There are no escalators in the western portion of the former Kaleidoscope at the Hub, only stairs and an elevator. 3 to 8- The bottom level of the former shopping mall has been converted to office space.
By the end of the 2010s, Kaleidoscope at the Hub found itself as a part of Blackbird Investment’s portfolio. The firm terminated all of the remaining tenants’ leases and revealed plans for a high rise residential tower on the site. This proposal never came to fruition and the city took over the moribund structure from Blackbird in 2020.
The center stood abandoned for several years, still open to the public, though with its lights dimmed and escalators leading to the upper tiers hidden behind chain link fences. Kaleidoscope at the Hub sat in empty limbo until 2023 when the facility was fully boarded up in preparation for its dismantling.
1 to 6- The main western concourse of the former Kaleidoscope at the Hub. 7- The entrance to the western end of the mall off of Sixth Avenue. 8- The skywalk that once connected the two halves of the former retail center is now closed while construction continues on the site of the eastern half.
After the eastern two-thirds of Kaleidoscope at the Hub was razed, construction began on the 33 story residential tower now named 515 Walnut Tower on the eastern half of the property. The western half at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Walnut Street remains undeveloped. The western third of the original center remains just as it always was to the present day. Day workers walk past empty storefronts seemingly not noticing the once significant retail venture surrounding them. Firm plans have yet to be released for its future, but I’m sure the dark red tiled floors aren’t long for this world. I’m just glad to have seen them for myself.
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