Looking for ideas on an old Health Club / Fitness Center

[Chase Keller]

Hello Braintrust!

I have a Health Club / Fitness Center that's been closed for a few years.  It was the best and nicest property when it was built and was very popular for a long time, but it didn't get the reinvestment that it needed, tired out and eventually closed a few years ago.  It's a sweet property with a pool, 12 racquetball courts, basketball court, locker rooms with showers, sauna, hot tub & steam room.  over 54,000sf total, so this place is huge, it had a full kitchen and bar area, billiards room, tanning rooms, salon.  Also has a daycare attached, so could be a lot of different things with that area.  

I'm looking for ideas on what this property could be.  Obviously a revamped health club, you could take down walls between the racquetball courts to have other uses; 20' tall rock climbing walls, pickleball, practice rooms for local clubs and teams, an adventure park or entertainment park.  I've had some other, but related users come look at the property; Boys&Girls Club, a charter school, someone that wanted to convert into .  

It's in a great location in Des Moines, on a major corridor with 29,000 cars/day, mile from the interstate.

What are some ideas that may have worked in other markets?  I'm open to any ideas.  I'm excited to see what can be done with this property!

Here's the property if you want to see what it is now.  Click the link here.  Oakmoor Racquet Club

[Adam Widder]

Food hall? Small indoor mall? Storage? Church?!

Sounds like it will have to change use, so either way price may just have to reflect keeping the shell. 

If you keep it, is a national fitness operator looking to come into that market? I would call the YMCA, Lifetime, LA Fitness.. etc and see if you can pitch it to them.

[John McKee]

I would make it a modern day sportsplex or gaming facility.  Sportsplex would be indoor soccer, hockey, pickle ball, and swimming.  I've seen racquet ball courts converted into rock climbing walls, party rooms, and moon bounces.  All of these are in demand in my area.  If it's a gaming facility then you could focus on a Dave and Busters type of concept.  Also a trampoline, indoor ropes, and laser tag concepts work as well.

[Henry Clark]

@Chase Keller  Check out Wedding reception hall.  Check on parking and bathrooms.  Kitchen is great.  Kids play area is great for this.

Indoor golf complex for part of it.

[Ronald Rohde]

We have these play gyms for kids. Flat entrance fee to run around and play. I imagine they make ok money, tough business to run.

[Joel Owens]

I intentionally do not want to buy Gym properties most of the time. They are notorious for going out of business. If I do buy them I want to make sure the dirt is very valuable even if the building has to be torn down or highly adapted to make rentable again.

You could see if one of the parent gym national brand companies want to lease it unless that is who went out.