About 10 years ago, West Bank officials began discussing the pros and cons of the bank owning its headquarters rather than spending money on leased office space.

Ultimately, bank officials decided owning was a better fit for their needs and in late 2021, announced plans to build West Bank’s new headquarters at 3330 Westown Parkway in West Des Moines. In early 2022, the bank acquired about 7.5 acres. That summer, construction was underway.

On April 15, West Bank opened its new space, a four-story dark stone and glass structure that overlooks a new water feature that bank officials say eventually will be surrounded by trees, grassy areas and a walking path for employees.

An exterior view of West Bank's new headquarters at 3330 Westown Parkway in West Des Moines. The bank began using the new facility on April 15. Photo by Duane Tinkey

An area on the first level of West Bank's new headquarters can be used during employee breaks or for training or other related activities. Photo by Duane Tinkey

The lobby of West Bank’s new headquarters in West Des Moines includes ample space for customers waiting to see bankers. The area is brightly lit and numerous paintings hang on nearby walls. Photo by Duane Tinkey

A small meeting area at West Bank’s new headquarters in West Des Moines. Photo by Duane Tinkey

Offices line the outside walls of West Bank’s new headquarters in West Des Moines. Small meeting areas are scattered throughout the building. Photo by Duane Tinkey

A conference room at West Bank’s new headquarters. Photos in the conference rooms and elsewhere in the building were shot by Don Paulson of Rochester, Minn. The photos are of recognizable places in Central Iowa, including Principal Park and the High Trestle Trail. The photos are all etched into metal. Photo by Duane Tinkey

A conference room at West Bank’s new headquarters. Photos in the conference rooms and elsewhere in the building were shot by Don Paulson of Rochester, Minn. The photos are of recognizable places in Central Iowa, including Principal Park and the High Trestle Trail. The photos are all etched into metal. Photo by Duane Tinkey

A photo of the night depository of West Bank’s first location in Valley Junction hangs on a wall in the institution’s new headquarters. The photo by Don Paulson was etched into metal. Photo by Duane Tinkey

West Bank’s new headquarters includes private showers for employees to use. The area also includes numerous lockers. Photo by Duane Tinkey

A workout room at West Bank’s new headquarters includes state-of-the-art equipment. An adjacent room can be used for yoga. Photo by Duane Tinkey

The employee cafeteria at West Bank’s new headquarters includes access to an 11,000-square-foot patio that overlooks a water feature. Photo by Duane Tinkey

West Bank’s new headquarters includes two golf simulators for use by employees and guests. Photo by Duane Tinkey

The great room of West Bank’s new headquarters has doors that open onto a terrace. The fireplace can be seen from both the great room and patio. Photo by Duane Tinkey

A long wall outside of the fourth-floor boardroom includes an image of Valley Junction, where West Bank got its start in 1893. The wall also includes photos and information about key people in West Bank’s history. Photo by Duane Tinkey

Many people thought West Bank owned the office building at 1601 22nd St. in West Des Moines, where it had leased space since 1972, said David Nelson, president and CEO of West Bancorporation Inc., parent company of West Bank. The lease in the office building on 22nd Street expires on April 30, he said.

“We probably paid for that building once every 10 years,” Nelson said. “We paid for it four or five times but still didn’t own it. We even considered buying it, paying for it a sixth time, and just in time to own a 50-year-old building that we were outgrowing.

“That didn’t sound like a great idea. It just made sense for us to own our own property and have it big enough where we can all fit and then have some room for growth,” Nelson said.

Remaining in West Des Moines

West Bank, founded in 1893, is West Des Moines’ oldest business. It was important to bank leaders and board members to remain in the community, Nelson said. It was also important to build the new headquarters in an area needing redevelopment, he said.

“It would have been easier to have gone farther west and build on a piece of green grass that had utilities up to the curb,” Nelson said. “We decided to do a redevelopment. I think it’s a real sign of community leadership to take a blighted site and turn it into something really special. …

“Hopefully [the headquarters] will also serve as a catalyst for more redevelopment in the area.”

West Bank’s new headquarters was built on land that previously included a mostly empty retail center; a vacant restaurant building; and three other buildings. All were demolished. Valley West Mall, an aged shopping center with numerous vacant storefronts, is to the north.

Interest in redeveloping the area about 600 feet north of an Interstate Highway 235 exit ramp is growing.

In 2020, ClaimDoc, a medical claim auditing and advocacy company, bought property at 3200 Westown Parkway that previously was home to a fitness center. More than $3.8 million in renovations were made to the building, which is east of the bank’s headquarters. In March, developer Richard Hurd acquired property at 3501 Westown Parkway, kitty-corner from West Bank’s headquarters.

“My hope is that with the new West Bank building and hopefully with us getting something going, that will start a trend to redevelop the whole area,” Hurd told the Business Record in March. “There are still a number of retailers interested in that area.”

The new headquarters

West Bank’s new headquarters includes over 73,000 square feet of space and an 11,000-square-foot outdoor patio on the first level. The structure was built about 25% larger than currently needed for the bank’s 115 employees, Nelson said. “We wanted room to grow.”

Fifty percent of the exterior, or about 14,500 square feet, is glass. The remaining 50% is a dark natural stone called aqua grantique that West Bank has used in the bank buildings it operates in Minnesota, Nelson said.

The building, which has special lighting at night, includes an arched roof that is visible from Interstate 235.

The building’s first level includes training rooms, a large cafeteria, workout rooms, showers and a mother’s room. The second level, which is at the same grade as the parking lot, is mostly space where bank employees interact with customers. The third and fourth levels include offices and conference rooms.

The board room is on the fourth level, as is a great room with a fireplace visible from inside and outside. The great room opens onto a patio that spans much of the building’s south and east sides. Also on the fourth level are two golf simulators and a small entertainment area with a fireplace and three garage-like doors that open to the patio.

“We signed the upper level for relationship-building and entertaining events,” Nelson said.

Most of the materials and products used in the building are sourced locally, Nelson said. “I’m proud of the fact that we used our own customers to build this.”

The development also includes 122 geothermal wells, each about 400 feet deep. While the geothermal system was more expensive to install than traditional HVAC, it will be less expensive to heat and cool the building, Nelson said.

“We were very careful to do everything we could from an environmentally friendly, supportive way,” Nelson said.

Nelson declined to say how much the headquarters cost to develop. A building permit issued for the project in the summer of 2022 placed the structure’s value at $33.5 million. The value does not include several costs associated with the project, including purchase of the property and architectural work.  

The new headquarters “is a source of pride” for the bank’s employees, Nelson said. “It’s a tool that we’ll be able to help recruit and retain people. … It’s different from any other office or bank building.”

Fun facts about West Bank’s new headquarters

• Exterior glass on the building totals 11,500 square feet, or enough to cover just over 2½ NBA-sized basketball courts.
• 122 geothermal wells, each 400 feet deep, heat and cool the building.
• The building includes 2,680 cubic yards of concrete, or 5,246.1 tons, or 23.3 Statues of Liberty.
• It took 28 mixer truckloads of concrete to pour one of the building’s four floors.
• The detention pond is 453 feet long and 70 feet wide. In some areas, it is at least 10 feet deep.
• The building includes 485 tons of steel.
• About 35,000 cubic yards of soil, enough to fill 10 Olympic-sized swimming pools, was hauled off the site.

West Bank History

1893: Herman and Anna Raaz found First Valley Junction Savings Bank. It is located at Fifth and Walnut streets in Valley Junction, now West Des Moines.

1938: Bank is renamed West Des Moines State Bank.

1960: Bank moves to new location on Grand Avenue in West Des Moines.

1972: Bank moves to new headquarters at 22nd Street and Westown Parkway in West Des Moines.

1983: Bank is purchased by its president, David Miller, and local investors.

1984: West Bancorporation Inc. is formed.

2002: West Bancorporation stock is listed on Nasdaq.

2003: Bank is renamed West Bank.

2003: West Bank purchases Hawkeye State Bank branches in Iowa City.

2015: Bank opens new location in Coralville.

2016: Bank builds new facility in Rochester, Minn.

2019: Bank enters three new markets in Minnesota: St. Cloud, Mankato and Owatonna.

2021: Officials announce plans to build new headquarters along Interstate Highway 235 in West Des Moines.

April 15, 2024: West Bank opens new headquarters at 3330 Westown Parkway in West Des Moines.