Junior Theatre details Younkers site plans
After of four months of study and community input, 73-year-old Davenport Junior Theatre has unveiled plans for a new location in 2025, after it moves from the Annie Wittenmyer campus on Eastern Avenue, where it’s called home since 1977.
The city of Davenport has entered into an agreement with developer Chris Ales (who led the restoration of the 1920 Capitol Theatre downtown) to create 99 units of affordable housing at Annie Wittenmyer. It will renovate the historic buildings, some dating from the late 19th century, and not require any demolitions.
Junior Theatre has put together a detailed plan to convert the former Younkers store at NorthPark Mall into a new complex for the city Parks & Recreation program that serves over 2,000 kids throughout the QC region, from ages 3-18.
The Younkers interim space falls within the top choice area based on Junior Theatre’s Community Input Survey (which had 342 responses). “Centrally located in City, with key corridor access to highways for those traveling to Davenport,” the project website says, noting it has ample parking.
There is easy drop-off at north entrance, which would be exclusive to DJT, with no general mall access. Green space will provide an outdoor programming area for summer camps.
The mall space size vastly increases square footage compared to the current DJT location (which uses 43,617 square feet at Annie Wittenmyer), allowing for continued program growth.
The interim theater itself would seat 270, while the current DJT theatre seats 362.
DJT is working with OPN Architects of Iowa City on conceptual plans. They looked at local churches and performance spaces to move as an interim solution, but the trick was not only do they have a theater, “but we have a vast educational need of programming space,” Davenport performing arts supervisor Daniel Sheridan said Friday, noting those kind of spaces couldn’t fit all those needs.
At Annie Wittenmyer, DJT operates out of 10 cottages as well as the Mary Fluhrer Nighswander Theater (which will not be developed as part of the housing plan), and the former Younkers store is 103,000 square feet.
“It fell in that zone of the city that people were very interested in Junior Theatre being, and it checked so many of the boxes – community input and programming needs, that it definitely was the one to pursue,” Sheridan said. It’s also a plus being all space on one level, under one roof, which is certainly not the case at the Wittenmyer complex.
“It’s a large space, which also makes it easy to build out,” he said of the variety of studios and office space.
“One of the great things about this place, it’s got a ton of space, everything under one roof, but the down side is the theater space isn’t really a theater, it’s more a production space,” said Nicole Savatski, board member of nonprofit partner Junior Theatre, Inc., which puts on the three DJT mainstage productions a year.
“Trying to retrofit a theater into something that was a mall, a shopping store, just doesn’t work very well,” she said Friday morning.
The Younkers site would require a theater with about 100 fewer seats and a smaller stage, so that’s one reason this is only a temporary fix (for at least three years), while DJT pursues a new permanent facility.
“We’ve had the blessing of being in the Mary Fluhrer Nighswander Theater for 47 years, and the mall performance space will not be the Mary Fluhrer Nighswander Theater,” Sheridan said. “We owe it to this program and its legacy, and its possibility to grow and serve more kids, to create that theater space proper – that’s been earned by decades of people contributing.”
There’s also a commission working with the city and NorthPark Mall owner Macerich to determine best long-term uses of the mall, he noted.
The architect will come back with cost estimates and will be taken to city council, back for discussion on how to fund the renovations for the new facility.
The timetable for the process includes:
July-Sept. 2024: Put construction project out to bid, award bid, and begin project preparation for space.
Oct.-Dec. 2024: Enter lease for existing space and start construction.
Jan.–March 2025: Construction continues, programming continues at Annie Wittenmyer.
April-June 2025: Begin draw down from current facility, finish final mainstage production, recitals, farewell celebration on May 18, 2025, finish final move out of cottages, summer programming begins at interim location.
“From a Parks & Recreation standpoint, our leadership has been very clear that the nonprofit is not responsible for fundraising for a move to an interim location,” Sheridan said. “This was not something our partner chose; this was something that happened, so we’re trying to work that city process to make that possible.”
Pluses at the mall
Macerich has been incredibly favorable and generous in negotiating lease terms for DJT, and may contribute some of the funding for the renovations, he said.
“They’ve been super responsive,” Sheridan said. “They’re very interested in having a program like Junior Theatre, where people come in – 500 families a week, and sit down for an hour. That would be a great asset to the mall, I think.”
The mall parking also would be much larger and convenient than DJT’s current location.
“Instead of having three disjoined parking areas – none of which are exceptionally close to the programming, this will all be right next to that door,” Savatski said. “This is a mall, there are thousands of spaces. This will be so much easier.”
That north end of the mall is largely unoccupied, Sheridan said, in contrast with the main entrances on the south, by Barnes & Noble.
DJT (the second-oldest children’s theater in the country, launched in 1951) is seeking feedback on the plans on its website.
“The one thing I’m excited about with the survey, there are three key open-ended questions – What are you excited about? What are you concerned about? And what ideas do you have that maybe we have not considered?” Sheridan said.
“We’ve already received over 100 responses in a 36-hour period,” he said. “Those will be very important to us, because there will be a lot of valuable ideas in there and things we need to consider.”
The feedback so far has been exceptionally positive, but Sheridan said there already have been concerns expressed about the performance venue itself.
“If you’ve ever been to a Junior Theatre event, we have 362 seats now and sometimes for our shows, people end up having to stand along the back wall,” he said. “It is busy, so losing 100 seats does impact program delivery. It doesn’t mean we can’t deliver a little different. But it will have an impact and it will not feel like the theater we have today. The theater we have today is beautiful.”
The lease at the mall will be for three years, with options to renew.
Big farewell bash planned
On May 18, 2025, they plan a big celebration at the current site.
“Nicole and I both grew up doing Junior Theatre, so we have a deep affinity for this location,” Sheridan said. “Even though we’re moving, it’s great to know the facility will be redeveloped and last longer as a piece in our community.
“The farewell event in May is going to really be a celebration of all that we’ve accomplished here,” he added. “We don’t want it to feel like a funeral. We wanted to really celebrate how grateful we are. When you talk about a permanent home, nothing’s permanent. This has been a permanent home and we need to celebrate all that it’s done for us.
“Now we have to find our next permanent place for the next 25, 35, 45, 50 years,” Sheridan said.
“We are making an effort to be fiscally responsible,” Savatski said. “In 2017, our board raised over $112,000 towards improvements to the Nighswander Theatre. A large portion of that were the chairs, which are still in excellent shape. The current plan is to respect that large investment and bring them with us. The plan is to bring as much as possible with us in order to lower costs now in hopes that more resources can be provided down the line towards a permanent home.”
Junior Theatre’s next Mainstage production is “Suzette Who Set to Sea,” directed by Cynthia Taylor, showing April 27th & May 4th at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., and April 28th and May 5th at 3 p.m. All shows are free to see, thanks to some generous grants, and the April 28th performance will be ASL interpreted, Savatski noted.
“There are three songs containing original music written and performed by the cast. They are truly beyond talented,” she added.
For more information on the facility plans, visit the project page HERE.
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