Campustown Redevelopment

Ah the good ol days. This is clipped from 2006. Remember when wings were cheap? lolView attachment 158686
When I was living in Ames for 2 years after graduation we went to WAS all the time. Bartenders new our orders and would pour them when we walked in. Guy still remembers us. Was there the other week before Arizona for lunch and it was still like $30 for a large "pit sticks", small pizza and popcorn chicken. Not bad at all.
 
For real Campustown is so sad now and it's not just nostalgia.

That kingland systems building just ruined the whole vibe with their block long monolithic building (although im sure those buildings were semi decripit).

Then across Welch Ave you got a gaping hole block which has been there for like 10 years or something. At this point Iowa State should buy that lot and build something there, they're running out of space on campus and it can't look good when families come for visits. But the city should have tried harder to work with the developer there because they've definitely missed the building boom opportunity we had 10 years ago in Campustown, fookin shame.
 
I'm sure some of it is nostalgia, but what I remember from the 90's, vs my daughters at ISU now.... campustown is just dead. A lot of it probably that with modern tech, half the students are "shut ins", but it's sad that there is no life to a commercial zone located across the street from giant dorms. To be fair, I'm a little old for the weekend bar scene, so maybe it's a great place to be on a Friday night.

Funny that through it all, Copyworks stands strong....
 
Totally forgot about the movie theatre being there....I remember going to see Beavis and Butthead and Napoleon Dynamite there.
Was the 90's, so streaming wasn't a thing, but my now wife and I saw damn near every movie that was released at that theater.
 
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I'm sure some of it is nostalgia, but what I remember from the 90's, vs my daughters at ISU now.... campustown is just dead. A lot of it probably that with modern tech, half the students are "shut ins", but it's sad that there is no life to a commercial zone located across the street from giant dorms. To be fair, I'm a little old for the weekend bar scene, so maybe it's a great place to be on a Friday night.

Funny that through it all, Copyworks stands strong....
Back then the towers had a good population so that pushed several kids through that area. We also had to pay for CyRide but now it’s free. So when we parked our cars from home, we rarely messed with them again and everything was on foot.
 
For real Campustown is so sad now and it's not just nostalgia.

That kingland systems building just ruined the whole vibe with their block long monolithic building (although im sure those buildings were semi decripit).

Then across Welch Ave you got a gaping hole block which has been there for like 10 years or something. At this point Iowa State should buy that lot and build something there, they're running out of space on campus and it can't look good when families come for visits. But the city should have tried harder to work with the developer there because they've definitely missed the building boom opportunity we had 10 years ago in Campustown, fookin shame.
I'm really curious about that old MoJazz location. I know the owner wanted a driveway for it and was denied. Wonder if its now for sale?

Always thought that would be a good spot for a hostel.
 
For real Campustown is so sad now and it's not just nostalgia.

That kingland systems building just ruined the whole vibe with their block long monolithic building (although im sure those buildings were semi decripit).

Then across Welch Ave you got a gaping hole block which has been there for like 10 years or something. At this point Iowa State should buy that lot and build something there, they're running out of space on campus and it can't look good when families come for visits. But the city should have tried harder to work with the developer there because they've definitely missed the building boom opportunity we had 10 years ago in Campustown, fookin shame.
I've posted this somewhere on the forums, can't remember where, but here we go.

I worked at Kingland my last 2 years of college and 2 years after college (not a bad first gig honestly). Those buildings were damn close to being a health code violation. The basement of the old Kingland office (the theater) would regularly have sewer backup in it. When David Kingland toured all the buildings to make the purchase he came in and straight up said to never eat or drink anything at Charlie Yolks (at the time) because of what he saw in the basement.

I get nostalgia, but those buildings were a disaster waiting to happen.
 
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I've posted this somewhere on the forums, can't remember where, but here we go.

I worked at Kingland my last 2 years of college and 2 years after college (not a bad first gig honestly). Those buildings were damn close to being a health code violation. The basement of the old Kingland office (the theater) would regularly have sewer backup in it. When David Kingland toured all the buildings to make the purchase he came in and straight up said to never eat or drink anything at Charlie Yolks (at the time) because of what he saw in the basement.

I get nostalgia, but those buildings were a disaster waiting to happen.
I think the nostalgia was it being bars, restaurants, entertainment venues on campustown. Not a business that had nothing to provide for that
 

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