The sheriff schedules the sale of famous bar in Des Moines, Iowa

Closed for more than a year due to a foreclosure ruling against it, the famous Zora Bar & Rooftop located in the city of Des Moines will be auctioned next month to execute a court judgment against its owner.

According to details of the ruling, the bar’s owner, Edwin Allen III, signed a loan with Community 1st Credit Union, which has benefited from the lawsuit by proving that the current owner owed more than 18% in annual interest, amounting to over 3.2 million dollars.

Recently, the court officially ordered the Polk County sheriff to organize the sale of the property, and the date set for this is in October. In light of the foreclosure ruling, according to office officials and the published court documents, the owner decided not to make any appeals. This decision forced the court to issue a default judgment in favor of the credit union.

Des Moines city administration has commented on the ruling and expressed relief with its closure, as the property had become a public nuisance and a local problem after several violent incidents and shootings, one fatal, within its premises.

The bar, open since 2021, already had a history of preventive measures imposed by city officials. Measures that, according to the owner, were driving him into bankruptcy because limiting operating hours and alcohol sales did not allow sufficient revenue for proper operation.

However, this was not the only time Des Moines judicial authorities had dealings with him. In previous years, Edwin Allen was investigated for selling alcohol to minors and pled guilty to harassment and unauthorized use of a tracking device. In these events, he was found guilty and was prohibited from selling alcohol at all registered establishments in his name that had social functions.

Other Allen properties in the cities of Des Moines, Iowa, and Waukee are also facing foreclosure proceedings.

The outstanding debts on these mortgage loans exceeded 1.8 million dollars, plus interest. He was also in default on a cross-collateralized loan and still owed more than a million dollars for five properties, according to Polk and Dallas county court records.

Additionally, Allen twice increased his mortgage loan on another Zora property by 2.9 million dollars, according to county records. Currently, according to the county assessor’s records, the property is valued at 1.76 million dollars.

Available Foreclosures:

Des Moines: 3 homes available.

Waukee: 2 homes available.

By Elias DaSilva | September 23, 2024.