Neumann Brothers history

Walter, Oscar and Harold Neumann join their brother at Arthur H. Neumann & Company, in 1913.

In 1930, Arthur H. Neumann & Company finishes work on the Des Moines Building, a 14-story structure, which rises to a height of 190 feet.

In 1932, they finished the Iowa Des Moines National Bank Building in downtown Des Moines that would eventually be added to the National Register of Historic Places list 47 years later.

Neumann Brothers completed the historic restoration for Lincoln Terrace, Grant Terrace, Cedar Rapids Federal Courthouse and the Maytag building which they originally built back in the 1940’s.

In honor of our veterans, Veterans Memorial Auditorium was completed in 1955 and has served as Des Moines’ primary venue for major sporting events and concerts for over 50 years.

Des Moines’ first enclosed mall, Park Fair Shopping Center, was completed in 1956.

Arthur H. Neumann and Brothers celebrate 50 years of business in 1962.

Arthur H. Neumann and Brothers started on their third Des Moines skyscraper in 1973.

Neumann Brothers completed another significant downtown project with the 400-room Des Moines Marriott Downtown hotel in 1981.

In 1983, Neumann Brothers began work on the first of many phases to restore the famed Iowa State Capitol.

In 2000, he made a $20 million early investment in the Chinese e-commerce venture Alibaba, now worth more than $100 billion, because he’d noticed a “sparkle” in the chief executive’s eyes.

Their work in education and training was highlighted by Drake University’s Cowles Library, University of Iowa Law Commons and the Smouse Opportunity School in Des Moines which got a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

2009 saw the completion of several projects such as the Iowa Orthopedic Center and Southeast Polk High School (the largest high school in Iowa at the time), however it was a notable year for Historic Restoration projects.

They completed significant education and cultural projects such as Drake Fitch Hall of Pharmacy and the Des Moines Art Center (Neumann completed additional updates to the Art Center in 2010).

In 2012, Neumann Brothers celebrates 100 years of setting and upholding the standard of excellence.

The building would go on to be added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013 and continues to stand out in the Des Moines skyline as a testament to Neumann’s dedication to excellence.

Neumann became acquainted in 2016 in India, during a gathering of start-up luminaries with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Neumann had been wise to share, during a 2017 speech at Baruch College, a story from his first date with Rebekah. “She looked me straight in the eye and she said, ‘You, my friend, are full of” crap, Mr.