Court Center in downtown Des Moines considers office tenants as it rebrands

Working where you used to party?

That could happen as the Court Center, once home to a multitude of often rowdy bars and nightclubs, is courting a variety of potential tenants for its now-vacant upper floors.

Some of the space, JLL brokerage Vice President Meredith Young said, could be offices.

“It doesn’t all have to be retail tenants. We will entertain office,” Young said. “It’d be interesting, coming into work and thinking, ‘I kind of remember this place!’”

The city in 2022 restricted the hours of the 100-year-old, three-story downtown entertainment building on the corner of Court Avenue and Third Street following a series of violent assaults , two of which involved weapons. All the tenants had vacated by the time the owners sought to reverse the decision last summer .

Since then, Court Center — rebranded as the “CC” —  has undergone a facelift. The Stuffed Olive bistro and cocktail lounge moved from its former location at 208 Third St. to the newly-remodeled first floor. But the upper two floors are still available to rent.

More: Martini bar The Stuffed Olive moves 200 steps to swankier space on Court Avenue

While JLL has fielded some inquiries from office users, the firm is still seeing more interest from tenants in the hospitality business.

“The offices are what surprised us,” said Aaron Hyde, senior vice president at JLL brokerage. “We haven’t said no to any particular kind of use. But the creative types, the marketing types that can utilize the high ceilings… We are seeing a lot of those guys looking around.”

'Eatertainment' venue sought

According to Hyde, the ownership group is interested in bringing in some kind of "eatertainment" — a venue that combines food and beverages with activities. It's a burgeoning field downtown: Omaha, Nebraska’s Let’s Go Putt is slated to open a second location of its adult-oriented mini-golf and lounge Fat Putter on the first floor of Wilkins Building at Walnut and Eighth streets this fall. And Escape Chambers and ax-throwing venue and bar Lumber Axe, both at 338 S.W. Sixth St., also will add a mini-golf course to their offerings in October.

The CC, though, hopes to score something new for Des Moines’ market.

“We don’t want just another bar,” Hyde said. “We can sign up another bar tomorrow. And there’s nothing wrong with bars. We just want to make sure it's the right fit for the property and the neighborhood.”

What’s up for grabs?

The Court Center’s upper two floors, which were most recently home to Beer Can Alley, The Exchange, Shag's and Heroes, haven't been touched since the spaces were vacated.

The second floor is 10,626 square feet and the third floor is 10,770. Both floors, Young said, could be easily divided into smaller units, with the tightest possible space being a 3,665-square-foot unit on the third floor. All spaces feature exposed brick and plenty of windows. The third floor, formerly Beer Can Alley, has a towering ceiling.

Both floors have kitchens.

A $12 million renovation in 2007 made significant updates to all three floors. An exterior renovation was completed as part of the work done to ready the building ahead of the Stuffed Olive's opening.

Are out-of-state businesses looking to move to Court Center?

While the CC has seen interest from local entities, Hyde said, the majority of the people JLL has spoken to do business outside of Iowa.

He noted that it's taken time to drum up interest in the CC. Some of that Hyde attributed to the lengthy process of convincing entities in Kansas City, Missouri, and St. Louis to send representatives to tour the building. The building's first-floor remodeling wasn't exactly on schedule either. The Stuffed Olive, which JLL anticipated to open in 2023, wasn't fully operational until the first week of April.

“We’re always telling people, ‘Hey, this is what’s coming,'" Hyde said. "But now we’re starting to see the changes. People are talking. It's a long process, convincing people to make a financial investment here.”

Addison Lathers covers growth and development for the Des Moines metro. Reach her at 608-931-1761 or alathers@registermedia.com, and follow her on X at @addisonlathers.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Court Center in downtown Des Moines considers office tenants as it rebrands