The credit union that owns the former Zora Bar & Rooftop building at 2120 Ingersoll Ave. is seeking offers to purchase the building with public tours scheduled for next month.

Community 1st Credit Union of Ottumwa, which held the loan on the building, acquired it in October at a sheriff’s auction for just under $3.47 million. The transaction was recorded on Oct. 30, the Polk County assessor’s website shows.

According to the website, the property’s assessed value is $1.76 million.

The nightclub closed in August 2023 after owner Edwin Allen was sued by the city of Des Moines. The city claimed the business was a public nuisance after a string of violence on the property, including several shootings, one of them fatal. Civil cases filed by the city against Allen and the business were dismissed last month, online court records show.

A Polk County District Court judge foreclosed on the business in July, ruling in favor of Community 1st Credit Union, and ordered the building sold at auction.

The credit union is working with brokerage firm Cushman & Wakefield to market the building.

According to Cushman & Wakefield, tours of the building are scheduled from 10 to 11 a.m. on Jan. 9 and from 1 to 2 p.m. on Jan. 16. Offers to purchase are due by 5 p.m. on Jan. 23.

The 5,496-square-foot building was constructed in 2021 and includes two stories plus a rooftop patio. It has minimal parking and adjacent on-street parking. Officials with Cushman & Wakefield said there could be a possible parking agreement to be made with a nearby business, but that that would be up to the future owner to research.

Officials with the brokerage firm said the building has been secured and utilities turned back on and it is now under the management of the credit union.

The restaurant equipment and coolers were stripped from the building by the previous owner, and the building could potentially be redeveloped for other uses, such as office space for various users, officials said.

“There’s some people that may really appreciate the building design and kind of billboard quality, being at a really high-visibility intersection,” said Christopher Stafford, senior vice president at Cushman & Wakefield.

Carrie Kruse, economic development administrator for the city of Des Moines, said there was no development agreement for the property, and that there are no specific use requirements for the site other than complying with the current MX2 zoning district, which allows for a variety of uses.

“Ultimately, we hope to see the building re-occupied with a vibrant commercial use that is compatible with the mix of great commercial uses that we have along Ingersoll,” Kruse said in an email.

The building qualified for a declining commercial tax abatement schedule, and seven years remain on that abatement, she said.

“That’s a great opportunity for a new commercial user to be able to reoccupy the building and take advantage of that existing property tax benefit that is already in place,” Kruse said.