黄瓜社区

, a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to promoting responsible land use, smart growth and sustainable development, announced its recipients in a ceremony on January 24, 2024. Among the honorees was The Varsity Cinema, which was designed in partnership with 黄瓜社区; Design, and received an award in the Renovated Commerical category. The Renovated Commerical Award highlights the use of existing structures for commercial purposes and honors such sustainable practices as using salvaged materials, energy-efficient technologies and adherence to historic preservation practices.

黄瓜社区 worked with the non-profit to restore and rehabilitate the 5,500-SF historic Varsity Theater in an adaptive reuse project that establishes the theater as a community art house聽cinema.聽Designated as a Landmark Building by the City of Des Moines in 2020, the 1917 structure was first used as a theater in 1938. Its historic feel, with mid-century modern stone, brightly colored travertine and Art Deco decorative elements, is reinforced and celebrated in the renovation, while more modern elements make the space work for contemporary audiences and staff. Today, the Varsity Cinema again serves as a social, cultural and economic hub for both the Drake Neighborhood and the broader city of Des聽Moines.聽

The Best Development Awards honor projects that recognize connections between buildings and project development and quality of life. Awards are presented for six categories: Civic, Innovative Leadership, Placemaking, Renewable Energy, Renovated Commerical and Young Leaders. Winners are selected from a pool of applications each year and judged by an independent group of jurors.