The loss of a Campustown fixture is being avenged by a look to the past.

The location formerly occupied by People’s Bar and Grill in the Champlin Building, 2430 Lincoln Way, is being developed into Papa Lou’s Bar and Grill. The theme of the new venue is a turn-of-the-century look, harking back to the building’s origin in 1906.

“The whole plan is to redevelop the building, keeping all the historic structures that are possible,” said Lynn Champlin Lloyd, owner of the building and proprietor of Papa Lou’s. The venue is named for Lloyd’s grandfather and the original owner of the building, A. Louis Champlin.

The wood and terrazzo floors – which are buried under five other layers of flooring – original woodwork, metal ceilings and the original bare metal support beams are being preserved as best they can.

Lloyd said, “At the time [of the building’s construction], having metal beams and metal trusses was extremely high-tech.”

As some of these original components are not in good condition, some pieces of flooring from the upstairs level are being used in the renovation.

Getting started

Plans to open Papa Lou’s started about six months ago, when Lloyd broached the idea to then-People’s owner Tom Zmolek.

There had been a history of some business issues between Lloyd and Zmolek.

“Tom had a history of delinquent payments,” Lloyd said, adding that he always caught up in his rent payments.

Lloyd also said Zmolek “tended not to take care of business,” referring to issues such as insurance. The lack of maintenance for the building was also a concern.

“It was a building that was in need of care, and Tom wasn’t going to provide that care,” Lloyd said.

Zmolek could not be reached for comment.

Once it was decided People’s would be closing and Papa Lou’s would take its place, Lloyd began looking for staff. She is still interviewing for the general manager position, but has hired Mike Proffitt, with 32 years of experience in live music booking, as the venue’s booking agent.

Including costs for design, renovation and bringing the structure up to code, Lloyd expects opening Papa Lou’s to cost about $400,000.

The design

The new venue was designed by Waleigh LePon, a longtime friend of Lloyd’s. Lloyd has employed local workers for the project, including architect Mark Clipsham of Architecture by Synthesis, 1552 X Ave., and a number of local contractors.

LePon drew on his years of experience and knowledge of Lloyd and her family to create the new design.

“We’re trying to keep a turn-of-the-century theme with a modern feel,” LePon said.

“When you walk into the building, you can feel that hundred years of history.”

The hallmark of the new design is a large horseshoe bar, designed to accommodate four bartenders at once for quick service.

The bathrooms will be completely redone, and the stage will be enlarged and angled slightly to face toward the bar.

The decor will include old pictures of Campustown, old-style light fixtures, and preserved sections of the original structure.

“Whatever we can save, we’re saving it,” Lloyd said.

Lloyd said one of the great difficulties in the renovation process has been dealing with building code changes.

“The city is much more strict with what can be done these days,” she said. However, she added, the city government has been very supportive of the venture.

Food, drink and entertainment

Lloyd isn’t planning on messing with success.

“[People’s owner] Tom Zmolek did a lot of things right over the years,” she said. “We’re following what People’s has done for 18 years,” She intends to keep the standard bar-and-grill formula, but with more of an emphasis on the restaurant side of things.

Papa Lou’s will also be open for lunch every day, adding a new dining option to Campustown.

However, the focus of Papa Lou’s is squarely on students. The food offered will be of standard bar-and-grill fare, and the aim is to keep it affordable for students.

The bar will be a little higher-end than People’s was, and Lloyd hopes to offer high-quality beers on tap.

“I like trying beers,” she said. “I would like to see a wide variety of beers.”

Sticking with People’s’ standard, Papa Lou’s will offer nightly entertainment.

“We’ll have different things every night,” Lloyd said. “It’ll be a broader range than People’s had.”

Lloyd spoke of hosting comedy and karaoke nights in addition to a variety of musical genres.

“I don’t want it to be one kind of person’s scene,” she said. “I want it to be for everybody.”

The rest of the building

The Champlin Building has a large basement and second story, as well.

The basement is the former home of Lumpy’s Dive Bar. Lloyd hopes to turn it into a blues club at some point.

“It would be a dark, smoky bar kind of thing,” she said.

This plan would involve a good deal of renovation and cleaning. Lloyd said she planned to add a conference room to offer ISU faculty and staff a relaxed off-campus meeting area.

The plans for the upstairs, however, are different. That level is in poor condition, having been mostly unused since the 1950s. Adding anything there would involve major renovations.

Though she doesn’t expect to see it realized for quite some time, Lloyd’s dream for the upstairs level is to turn it into a large meeting hall.

The grand opening

When the Champlin Building first opened in 1906, the Ames Tribune ran a large article on it, and the grand opening ceremony was attended by people from all over Ames.

Lloyd intends to echo this when Papa Lou’s opens with a similarly large ceremony, inviting the mayor, the Chamber of Commerce, the press and similar guests. She also hopes to have her 88-year-old father, A. Louis Champlin, Jr., attend.

Lloyd said she hopes to open the venue by August 15, but set September 1 as an absolute deadline.

Lloyd is enthusiastic about opening the new venue and hopes it to be a big draw for students.

“I want it to be a hip place to go to,” she said.

History of the building

The Champlin Building, 2428 Lincoln Way, was built in 1906 by A. Louis Champlin to house his drugstore. It was also the first brick building in Campustown.

Since housing Champlin’s Drug Store, the main level changed hands several times, but remained a drugstore until People’s Drug Store-as it was called at the time-was bought by Tom Zmolek and became People’s Bar and Grill.

When the building was first built, the basement was home to the Blue Bird Tea Room, but was mostly unused before becoming Underwhere? and Lumpy’s under Zmolek’s management.

The upstairs level was originally the Iowa State Ballroom, hosting dances prior to the construction of the Memorial Union. It also served as a meeting room for Collegiate Methodist Church. In the 1940s and 1950s its role changed, and it housed a professional wrestling ring until building code changes forced its closure in the 1950s, when it became a storage space.

Music at Papa Lou’s

Owner Lynn Champlin Lloyd and designer Waleigh LePon have some big plans for live music at the new venue. The core of the new approach lies in the planned equipment booth, which will be housed in a turn-of-the-century-style gazebo.

“We’re buying all-new digital equipment – it’s state-of-the-art,” LePon said.

The new equipment includes more sophisticated PA system than was at People’s, keeping equipment off the stage and floor and simplifying sound checks. The crown jewel of the new system, however, will be a 28-track audio/visual studio.

“You can play on this stage to 500 people, then go cut a live DVD,” LePon said. “I don’t think there’s any other club in the Midwest that offers that.”

Although the plan is to book big acts for weekend shows, LePon said he intends to offer a venue for local musicians, as well.

“During the week, Ames musicians that patronize the place can come up and do their thing,” he said.

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