This year, Dogtown’s own Varsity Cinema purchased some nearby apartments and plans on renovating these apartments either later this year or in the spring of 2025. The building, located immediately north of the cinema, includes both housing for Dogtown residents and a multipurpose space that will soon serve as an extension of the Varsity cinema.
For this project, the Varsity will renovate six one-bedroom apartments, which it plans to upgrade, modernize and rent out for an affordable price, and create a multi-purpose community gathering space on the first floor of the property. The Varsity hopes to use this space for fun community activities and educational opportunities for all ages, including summer camps for elementary-school-aged children as well as film classes and workshops.
Ben Godar, executive director of Des Moines Film and a driving force in the renovations, believes that attracting more people to this extension of the Varsity Cinema will enhance business and keep up with growing popularity.
“Our main auditorium seats 231 people. Our lobby cannot accommodate 231 people,” Godar said. “So, for example, [if] we’re going to have a sold-out screening and then want to have an opportunity for everyone there to be engaged in some kind [way], whether it’s a community conversation or hanging around for cocktails and appetizers. We don’t really have the space to facilitate the largest possible crowds that we can have.”
Godar also believes that the renovations will be beneficial for other local businesses because more people will be visiting the various shops, bars and restaurants that Dogtown has to offer.
“Just by being an entertainment venue as we are, we know that we bring people into the neighborhood, and we know that that’s beneficial to our restaurant, bar, coffee shop friends in the neighborhood,” Godar said. “We’re excited about the degree to which the Varsity Cinema has been able to bring people in.”
The Varsity Cinema bought the building from the nearby Drake University, which used to rent out the apartments that the Varsity plans to renovate.
Petit-Paul Mwilarhe, a senior currently residing near the Dogtown area, expressed how the renovations will benefit the area’s residents, emphasizing the need for affordable housing and community gathering spaces
“I know the housing around Drake University is usually expensive,” Mwilarhe said, “I’ve seen the housing price increasing for the past four years.”
Mwilarhe also explained how the building’s multi-purpose space can help the surrounding community by having a positive impact on families.
“[It] will be beneficial, especially for kids around Drake University who are really young,” he said. “A space where a family can gather together and have a little bit of fun. It’s a great project and really beneficial to the community.”
Mwilarhe added that the expansion of the Varsity’s business thanks to the new space will impact Dogtown’s economy.
“It can improve the social economy around Drake and affect the other small businesses around Drake, because everyone will want to go to that [space], have fun, and spend their money. Small businesses, like restaurants and universal housing might be affected by it.”
Courtney Ackerson is the president of the Drake Neighborhood Association, a group of volunteers who help make sure neighborhood residents have a voice in public affairs. Ackerson expressed her support for the Varsity’s dedication to improve the apartments.
“I’m excited to see what they do with it, especially because I feel like they’ve done such a great job with the Varsity. Things look so revitalized down there, and it’s exciting to watch new things come into the neighborhood,” said Ackerson. “I am happy that buildings are getting revitalized and used and not sitting empty.”
Ackerson also explained that the Neighborhood Association is willing to help the Varsity with their project if the need arises. She expressed that the rest of the area will benefit from having more affordable housing options and another venue for community involvement and business opportunities.
“I think they’re listening to what the neighbors need. They’re listening to what other business owners are saying. And I think watching them work together is really amazing,” said Ackerson. “All the Dogtown businesses work together, and if they need or want more feedback, I think we’d be a good avenue to find it if they needed it. So I have full confidence that they would use us if they need us.”
Godar said he is optimistic about the new space’s potential impacts on the surrounding community, believing that it can boost the economy, bring people in the community together and support the art and film culture in Des Moines.
“Anything that helps promote the art of film to the Des Moines community is something that we’re interested in doing,” Godar said.
Godar also acknowledges the role that Drake students play in supporting the Varsity Cinema and encourages Drake’s continued involvement in the surrounding community as the project unfolds, emphasizing the opportunities that the Varsity will continue to provide. By having more space to expand the Varsity’s reach and accommodate more people, jobs, volunteer work, and other opportunities for Drake students will increase in the future.
“We continue to see more and more students coming to our film programming; we have a number of employees that are Drake students,” Godar said. “We have Drake students who volunteer with us. Some of the pre-show videos that you see are edited by Drake students. We could not be involved in our neighborhood and [have] an impact in our neighborhood without Drake students.”
As the Varsity Cinema develops its various projects, whether providing affordable housing, fun learning opportunities for the community or presenting new films, its goal is to make sure the locals are satisfied.
“We’re receptive to anyone who’s part of our community. We program all our films locally, which we are unique in town for doing that. We’re listening, and we’re trying to provide what our neighborhood and our community wants, and that certainly includes Drake students,” Godar said.
