Moline Preservation Society

MPS celebrates 25th anniversary
On October 14, MPS will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a special dinner, presentation and silent auction event. Held at the historic University Club on 5th Avenue in downtown Moline, the night will include the following:

- 25 year retrospective of MPS
- silent auction, including items from Lagomarcino's, Circa 21, MPS, and more

- featured silent auction gift: a 2 night stay in the Guest Villa at Landmark Vineyards in Sonoma, CA. Landmark Vineyards is operated by the Deere-Wiman family, and features wine named after Deere family members. The winner of this special package also receives a vinyard tour, and two bottles of Overlook Chardonnay, named after the historic Deere-Wiman home in Moline (which when Charles Deere lived there was called Overlook)

The evening's featured speaker is Jim Peters, president and CEO of Landmarks Illinois, the only statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the great architectural heritage of the state of Illinois. Jim joined Landmarks Illinois in 2001 as director of planning, before assuming this position in 2008. Other experience includes: staff director for the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, planner with the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission, and adjunct professor of historic preservation at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Illinois-Chicago. He has a Bachelor of Environmental Design degree from Texas A&M University and a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

MPS president appears on "The Cities"
Barb Sandberg talks about 25 years of preservation in Moline on "The Cities," hosted by Jim Mertens. Watch the full segment on You Tube.

Moline named Preserve America Community

Moline was named only the 7th Illinois community to be designated a Preserve America community. The program is a White House initiative in cooperation with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and a number of government agencies that recognize communities "committed to preserving America's heritage while endusring a future fulled with opportunities for learning and enjoyment," said former First Lady Laura Bush, the honorary chair of the Preserve America initiative.

Moline named Illinois Main Street program
Moline's application to become an Illinois Main Street community was accepted in early January. Criteria for the program includes maintaining historic structures and ensuring that newer buildings fit with those surrounding them. The program will offer new opportinities to integrate current city programs, such as the Facade Improvement program, with additional design and building services based on federal and state guidelines. For more, including examples of Main Street rehabilitations, design tools, and general information, visit Illinois Main Street.

Downtown Designated as National Historic District
On August 30, a 33 acre area of downtown Moline received designation on the National Register of Historic Places. Moline's first designated national district encompasses 112 buildings from 12th Street to 18th Street, and from 4th to 7th Avenues. For more information, including history on each building in the district, visit the City of Moline's website.

Plans have been made to relocate the Davenport, Rock Island & N.W. Railroad Depot from its current address at 2021 River Drive to the corner of 23rd Street and River Drive in Moline.

Built in 1900, this rail depot was in use until 1934 when it was sold and converted into offices for the former Frank Foundry Company. The City of Moline purchased the depot in 1994 renovating it for use as a Visitor Center with office space for the Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau. That year the depot also became a Moline Landmark.