Company founded in Lead, South Dakota
Dakota Mutual Life Insurance Company is founded in Lead, South Dakota. It later becomes Midland National Life Insurance Company and relocates to Watertown.
A Watertown Legacy
The history of Midland Plaza
From Midland National Life Insurance Company’s Watertown home office to today’s Midland Plaza, this building has remained part of the city’s story for generations.
Midland Plaza traces its roots to Midland National Life Insurance Company and its modern mid-century office building at the corner of Maple Street and First Avenue Southeast. The materials collected here bring together newspaper clippings, a detailed timeline, and a 75-year anniversary article.
Detailed timeline
Key moments in the company’s history and the building’s transition into Midland Plaza.
Midland National Life Insurance Company name adopted
The company changes its name to Midland National Life Insurance Company.
Groundbreaking in Watertown
Groundbreaking is held for the company’s new headquarters building in Watertown.
New home office dedicated
Midland National Life Insurance dedicates its new home office building in Watertown.
Watertown serves as the company’s home office
The building serves as Midland National’s home office for company leadership and administrative operations.
Frank L. Bramble serves as co-founder and board chairman.
50th anniversary
Midland National celebrates its 50th anniversary nationally. The Watertown building remains central to operations at this time.
Acquired by Reserve Life Insurance Company
Midland National is acquired by Reserve Life Insurance Company of Dallas, Texas; however, the corporate presence in Watertown continues through the building.
Growth under new leadership
Midland National grows under new leadership and increases its national footprint. The company remains headquartered in Watertown through this period.
Corporate headquarters move to Sioux Falls
Midland National relocates its corporate headquarters from Watertown to Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The original Watertown building then begins its transition from insurance headquarters to a commercial and mixed-use property later known as Midland Plaza.
Transition to Midland Plaza
The building changes character from corporate headquarters to a commercial property hosting offices and services.
Known occupants included Bergen Co. Real Estate, Marty Raml, Francis Lenards Agency, and Lake Area Technical Institute programming during 1985–1987.
Public service offices
Department of Social Services and South Dakota Department of Revenue offices are located in the building during this period.
Human service agencies
Human Service Agency offices and Child Protection Services both have offices housed in Midland Plaza in the late 1990s.
Family ownership begins
The building becomes family owned by the Utne family as a commercial property and office/retail space.
Continued commercial use
Midland Plaza continues to host a variety of offices and retail spaces. The supplied timeline notes uses including Maple Street Diner (2005–2019) and Santa Land in Midland Plaza from 2003 to the present day.
Still active at 100 South Maple
Midland Plaza remains family owned and continues to operate at 100 South Maple in Watertown with office, retail, and apartment tenants.
Built by the community
The 1951 opening materials recognize numerous local and regional businesses that helped bring Midland’s home office to life, including McGrann Bros. Construction Co., The Light House electrical contractors, Nelson Hardware, Howard & Kepner Inc., Grazzini Bros. and Co., and Watertown Cement Products Co.
These clippings are a record of the businesses, tradespeople, and community pride connected to one of Watertown’s notable mid-century commercial buildings.
75 years of Midland Plaza
A modern reflection on the building’s local legacy.
Midland Plaza celebrates 75 years
A Watertown Current article marked Midland Plaza’s 75th anniversary and highlighted the building’s long role in downtown Watertown. It notes that the building was dedicated on January 11, 1951, and that Midland National Life Insurance Company was once one of Watertown’s largest employers.
The article also traces the move of Midland’s offices to Sioux Falls in 1977, later uses by agencies and programs, and the building’s 2003 purchase by Jim and Lu Utne from Dr. Mary Goepert.
Today, Midland Plaza continues to serve as one of downtown Watertown’s best-known landmarks.
Source documents
The original timeline sheets and anniversary article collected for this page.
Detailed yearly timeline — page 1
Covers the early company history, Watertown headquarters era, 1977 relocation, and the start of the transition to Midland Plaza.
Detailed yearly timeline — page 2
Continues through the late 1980s, the 1990s, 2003 family ownership, and current use in the 2020s.
Historic clippings and photographs
Original images from the Midland history display.
