The evening of Feb.16, Drake University was wide awake and heated up with the fire at Jethro’s. As the flames burst and the building crumbled, the empty building was finally, in some way, put to rest. 

As the sun rose, the only things that were left were “what happened” and the particular idea that had been on the mind of Drake’s campus for the last couple of years. “What would move in as its place?” 

The original Jethro’s building closed down in late 2020 on its own terms, originally for remodeling. According to the Des Moines Register, it was then sold and left vacant after the business moved downtown. The owner, Bruce Gerleman, had anticipated that remodeling would be finished by the end of 2022, a dream that never came to fruition. 

My idea is, we already have restaurants all over campus. We have Chinese, Greek, Mexican and American. Personally, I think we need something that is going to bring Dogtown to the next level. Hard spaces, like physical spaces or social centers, are slowly coming back as a part of social life, and I think it would be great to have a new space where people can just be together. 

While having a Taco Bell would be something I would love, I think what students really need is a space where they can just hang out. There used to be this crystal shop right next to my high school, and students would come not just to shop but to hang out, study, have lunch and ultimately just be with each other. Students would be uplifted by something similar at Drake. 

Students want to be with each other. There needs to be a reason for students to come together without the pressure of finishing an assignment that is due that night or something you need to pregame for. Intimacy with students, even finding a space to create connections, is not an easy task around campus. We need a place that gives students the space to feel separate, but where they know that they can be together. 

Now that the building is gone, what’s the next step? Dogtown is ever evolving, and now Drake and its neighborhood have an opportunity to format the vision of Dogtown and create something new and fresh for students on campus. Creating a new hard space that’s not strictly Drake-related allows students to partially detach from the space of Drake and take a momentary break from the work that’s just down the street. 

Nate Reagen, Dean of Students, as well as being involved with the Drake Neighborhood Association, has mentioned on Feb. 20th, that Drake has a plan for Dogtown and its future.

“The vision is to cultivate Dogtown as a destination as an entertainment district,” he said. 

As of now, there are no plans for what’s going to happen to the lot where Jethro’s once stood. The lot currently stands as a private lot, owned by Stampede Inc., a business from Arizona. There have been no mentions of selling the lot or future plans for it. Reagen mentioned that it might remain that way for a long time. 

Within the next few years at Drake, perhaps this vision of Dogtown might come to life the way Drake administration and the surrounding neighborhood, imagine it. We are already seeing slight changes in our neighborhood. 

As the future rolls around, more and more opportunities are coming around the Drake neighborhood. Big Grove Brewery is in the works to set up shop within the next couple of years. Many restaurants are continuously popular among students. Drake itself is continuing with construction, such as the renovation of Olmsted this summer, and having made changes to Meredith Hall and the new Johansen Student Center. My hope is that time is invested into creating spaces that aren’t painted blue and let students be the young adults they are.

Even though the flames of Jethro’s soared hot through the frigid February night, it does not reflect what is to come of Drake’s campus. One can only hope that students will get more than another restaurant.