DES MOINES, Iowa -- Even as owners of the Kum & Go convenience-store chain, what may be the Krause family’s most memorable legacy to the people of Des Moines, Iowa, opened this fall. The Krause Gateway Center, a six-story, floor-to-ceiling glass structure, illuminates the skyline with a gravity-defying design that builds from a narrow base and opens skyward.
The new Kum & Go headquarters, located near a sculpture park, is the creation of Italian designer Renzo Piano, known for The Shard in London and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
The Krause Gateway Center’s 160,000 square feet of office space is double that of Kum & Go’s headquarters in West Des Moines. It also features outdoor terraces and a rooftop garden of prairie grass and art sculptures. Plans for its first floor include a cafe that will be open to the public.
Igniting inspiration within communities excites the Krause family, says Kristi Knous, president of the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, a recipient of the chain’s philanthropy.
Building the Krause Gateway Center next to the sculpture park is “a game-changer for that part of the community,” Knous says.
With 400 c-stores, Kum & Go ranked No. 20 on CSP's2018 Top 202 list of the largest chains in the country.
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