The historic Val Air Ballroom sells to new ownership for $1.9 million
A local music promoter bought the historic Val Air Ballroom, the West Des Moines venue that has hosted countless concerts from Chubby Checker to Bob Dylan in its 83-year history. VAB LLC, managed by Samuel Summers, paid $1.9 million for the West Des Moines property and plans to continue its rich legacy as a showroom.
In 2016, Michigan-based owner Pedro Zamora set a $2.6 million sales price for the venue at 301 Ashworth Road near the Historic Valley Junction. Zamora acquired the showroom in 2003 for $1.1 million.
The Val Air originally opened in 1939 and hosted decades of varied entertainment for locals since then from swing dancing and big bands to heavy metal and punk.
In just the past 20 years, the Val Air Ballroom stage brought the likes of hip hop star Snoop Dogg and metal giant Alice Cooper to Des Moines, and it became a desirable venue for high school proms, the Heartland Swing Festival and Pho King Cook-Off.
More: 10 most memorable Val Air moments
In a 2016 report, the Des Moines-based nonprofit Neighborhood Development Corp. estimated the building required $1.1 million in repairs to modernize it. The venue plans to operate through 2022 before a "full historical renovation" is put underway.
The Business Record originally reported the sale on Jan. 19.
The Val Air hosts alt band Dashboard Confessional and rock band Jimmy Eat World March 3-4, punk rockers Beartooth on March 28 and hardcore punk band Knocked Loose on April 28, among others.
More: Historic Val Air Ballroom for sale
Summers also owns the live music venue Wooly's — a 683-capacity hall a fraction of the 3,000-capacity space Val Air provides — and organizes the annual Hinterland Music Festival.
Isaac Hamlet covers arts, entertainment and culture at the Des Moines Register. Reach him at ihamlet@gannett.com or 319-600-2124, or follow him on Twitter @IsaacHamlet.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: West Des Moines' long-standing Val Air Ballroom under new ownership
