National Register of Historic Places

Farmers Mutual Reinsurance Company Building

Grinnell, Poweshiek County, Iowa
Listed
March 13, 2013
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
13000069

About this property

The Farmers Mutual Reinsurance Company Building is a historic structure located in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. "The Iowa Farmers Mutual Reinsurance Association was the first statewide organization of its kind in the United States." When it moved to Grinnell from Jefferson, Iowa in 1934 its name was changed to Farmers Mutual Reinsurance Company. It was still a relatively small operation at the time that required only simple rented upstairs quarters. The present building was first occupied in 1951, but only the first two floors were built. The top two floors were completed in 1957, and gave the building its present form. The company rented out the first floor to other commercial businesses. Farmers Mutual Reinsurance Company moved out of building in 1962 to a larger complex south of Grinnell, and at that time became known as the Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company. This building was sold to the General Telephone Company, which occupied the whole building until 1968. The Trustees of Iowa (Grinnell) College, GTE Data of Iowa, and DeLong's Sportswear have all subsequently owned the building. Des Moines architect Gerald I. Griffith was responsible for designing both phases of the Modern Movement structure. Both phases were built by the Lovejoy Construction Company, also of Des Moines. The main facade is composed of gray shot-sawn Indiana limestone panels. The lower two floors feature bands of windows. The upper two floors are all stone veneer that is ornamented with a random patterning of projecting panels that have been sand blasted to a smoother surface, with shot-sawn panels. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

Location

821 5th Ave.
Grinnell, Poweshiek County, Iowa
41.74493, -92.72467

Categories

COMMERCEARCHITECTURE
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Interior Telephone Company Building
Industrial
0 mi
Grinnell Herald Building
Industrial
0 mi
Stewart Library
Industrial
0.1 mi
Grinnell, Levi P., House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Merchants' National Bank
Industrial
0.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Farmers Mutual Reinsurance Company Building listed on the National Register?

Farmers Mutual Reinsurance Company Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 13, 2013.

What type of historic resource is Farmers Mutual Reinsurance Company Building?

Farmers Mutual Reinsurance Company Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Farmers Mutual Reinsurance Company Building?

The period of significance for Farmers Mutual Reinsurance Company Building is recorded as the industrial era.

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