By the end of the 1890s, Moline's Main Street business district (today's Third Avenue/River Drive) was moving across the tracks and building up along Henry Street, later renamed Fifth Avenue. Records indicate this was a residential neighborhood at that time, so this move necessitated the demolition of a large number of Moline's earliest homes. This action made way for several blocks of two and three story brick and frame commercial buildings many with second story bay windows. By the 1920s several of these buildings gave way to much larger structures which were needed for office and commercial spaces for the rapidly expanding City.

A variety of businesses opened, dispensing groceries, clothing, jewelry, drugs and household items. There were funeral parlors, churches, boarding houses, stables, a school and the new public library. Several theatres located along Fifth Avenue as did restaurants, social clubs and saloons, for downtown was the center of activity for the residents of Moline.

Three banks, always the anchor of the business district, were located at Fifth Avenue and 15th Street with two remaining today. These impressive buildings along with the Reliance and the Fifth Avenue Buildings have provided office space for numrous doctors, lawyers, dentists, beauty shops, tailors, palm readers, insurance companies, finance companies, dance studios and photographers.

The downtown area prospered and grew until the 1960s. The opening of discount department stores and the new South Park Mall began to take away much of the business and many of the stores moved to new locations or closed by the 1970s.

Looking at Fifth Avenue today we see many changes that have taken place over the years. Some buildings were removed for parking lots, others to make way for expansion of existing businesses. The block which once proudly housed The New York Store, F.W. Woolworths and the Kresges $0.05 and $0.10 store was demolished in 1990 to make way for the seven-story Heritage Office Building. City leaders believed the addition of this new building would help to revitalize the downtown area. Time will be the judge of that endeavor.

It should be noted that a number of businesses have remained along Fifth Avenue, several with histories going back for 50 to 100 years. Some of these businesses have been managed by the same families and are now into the third and fourth generation. Through the years, they have witnessed the parades, the holidays, the celebrations, the good times and the bad. We salute them for keeping Moline's historic downtown district alive and well.