Completed in 1931, Roshek’s Department Store was the largest in Iowa. In the late 1960’s, Roshek’s announced it would move to Kennedy Mall and sold the property. The rechristened “Dubuque Building” was renovated and converted to office space. Over the years, the building changed hands and became increasingly underutilized, and previous renovations masked the building’s historic architectural features.
In 2008, the building was again put for sale. At the same time, IBM, an industry-leading technology company, was considering expansion into Dubuque. IBM’s desire to locate in a renovated hub of the city center and emphasis on sustainability matched the city’s intentions for its downtown revitalization. In 2009, IBM announced its commitment to Dubuque, and Dubuque Initiatives took on the Roshek Building project, overseeing the extensive renovations required to accommodate hundreds of IBM employees.
The Roshek Building proved to be the largest sustainability project to ever take place in the city, achieving Platinum certification with the United States Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating system.
