Franklin Junior High could be reborn as boutique hotel, entertainment space

A local developer wants to renovate the former Franklin Junior High School into a mixed-use entertainment venue with hotel rooms, office space, a restaurant and several boutique bars.

Jeff Young, owner of We Can Build It, has grandiose plans for the huge structure at the corner of 48th Street and Franklin Avenue.

His eclectic concept includes converting the old classrooms into hotel rooms and offices, and opening an eatery in the space that was once the school cafeteria.

"It looks exactly like it did when it was built," Young said. "It's beautiful."

The two-story, 213,000-square-foot building was constructed in 1948. It opened three years later as Franklin Junior High School to serve the growing northwest Des Moines neighborhoods.

Increasing enrollment over the years created the need for more space, and in 1957 an addition was built. Enrollment at the school peaked in 1960 with 1,562 students.

As enrollment declined, Des Moines Public Schools closed the school's doors for good in 1979.

The property was purchased by First Federated Church in 1980. The church took over a portion of the space and leased the rest to Des Moines Christian School, which operated there until building its Urbandale facility in 2005.

First Federated opened a $5 million, 4,000-seat sanctuary in 1987 on the west side of the building.

The church decided to sell the building about four years ago. It has been on the market since, said Pastor Mike Rose.

"The upkeep of that facility for us was huge. And just increasingly it was becoming more and more about trying to keep a building up," he said. “We're not in the business of keeping a building going, we’re in the business of ministry.”

The church, which has about 500 members, moved to 12001 Ridgemont Drive in Urbandale and renamed itself The Mission Church. It held its first service there last week.

Young plans to close on the $2 million purchase Monday. He expects to invest another $6 million on the interior renovations.

He's modeling the concept after a series of historic renovations done in the Pacific Northwest by the McMenamins company. The McMenamin brothers have turned a handful of historic schools into unique hotels with microbreweries, wineries, restaurants, leased office space and other quirky finds.

The Kennedy School in northeast Portland has 57 guestrooms — some fashioned from the former classrooms with original chalkboards and coat closets — a restaurant, multiple small bars (one called the Detention Bar and another the Honors Bar), a movie theater and a soaking pool.

The Anderson School in Seattle has a brewery in what was once the school's wood shop and a community room that can be booked for parties, family reunions and weddings.

All of the company's properties display historic photos and drawings of the buildings, as well as local artists' work.

Like the McMenamins, Young plans a mix of uses. He said he wants to create "something that unites the people in the neighborhood."

"It's not been done in Des Moines before," he said.

He envisions a hotel with 30 to 40 guest rooms occupying the majority of the second floor. He hopes to turn the old cafeteria into a restaurant and retrofit other rooms into boutique bars with different themes.

The building's two auditoriums could be turned into entertainment venues for concerts or plays. Gymnasiums could be used for weddings or events.

Some classrooms could be turned into office space and leased to tenants.

"Imagine if you were in an office here that had clients flying in from out of town. They could stay here, grab a bite to eat at the restaurant, see a show and put on a presentation in a 200-person auditorium," Young said.

His concept is in the planning stages. He needs to get approval from Des Moines to re-zone the property from its current church classification, and he wants to see the structure added to the National Register of Historic Places.

He's also meeting with representatives from the adjacent neighborhood associations — Beaverdale, Merle Hay and Waveland Park — to get their input on the plan.

"I want the neighborhoods to take ownership of it," Young said.

Ethan Standard, president of the Waveland Park Neighborhood Association, said members of the three organizations plan to tour the property and hear Young's ideas for the building. The organization is "excited to see significant new investment" in its neighborhood, specifically on that corner, he said.

"The neighborhood node at 48th and Franklin is a cornerstone of our three neighborhoods," Standard said. "We are very optimistic that this area will become a unique place within our city."