Rock Island's Third Avenue: Neighborhood gets new life as arts community

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By Dustin Lemmon | Monday, October 6, 2008 6:06 AM CDT | () comments

Joe Meirhaeghe of Orion, Ill., works on a napkin holder recently at the Quad-City Woodturners Association’s new location in Rock Island. The group renovated the Desoto Arts Building and uses it as its meeting place and workshop. Buy this Photo

It’s the last building on the south side of Rock Island’s 3rd Avenue just before it dead ends a few yards short of 24th Street.

For years, the former auto dealership sat empty in its small corner of the block.

Now the remodeled and renamed DeSoto Arts building grabs the eye of everyone coming off Arsenal Island or driving in on Illinois 92. A large mural was painted on the east wall, and the Quad-City Woodturners Association and DeSoto Potters have transformed the inside into a new workshop.

“It really is the dream we had in our minds,” said Jim Loula, president of the 82-member association.

It’s also a small part of the revitalization on 3rd Avenue that has taken place in the past five years. A four-block section from 20th Street east has seen more than $10 million in renovations and construction. Those responsible hope the area will become an extension of The District and draw more customers a few blocks east.

Jeff Guthrie, who operates Midwest Graphics Management in East Moline, is developing DuMarche, a $1.3 million six-unit town home that will provide housing and work space to artists when finished. Construction started in August, and the two buildings will have a courtyard in between where artists can show their work.

“I saw our facility as being an extension of what was going on in The

District,” Guthrie said. “It kind of extends The District out.”

Guthrie and a partner also converted a former church into a restaurant that opened on the avenue in 2003 under the name 3rd and 22, but later closed under new ownership.

“I really believed even five years ago that I could really see the changes that were going to take place,” he said. “You could see that the progress was happening. I really felt that it was

worthwhile.”

Butch McCreight, vice president of commercial lending for American Bank and Trust, which owns 3rd and 22, said it could reopen soon. The

property will go on the market within a couple of weeks, and he expects immediate interest.

“Right now, we’ve gone in and are cleaning it up a bit,” he said. “It’s always been down there. People know about it.”

One block west from 3rd and 22 a former dry cleaning business was converted into a coffee house in 2005 for $200,000. The first business closed, but earlier this year, new ownership opened the nonprofit coffee shop

Areopagus.

Manager Ashley Redman admits she rarely visited the area when she used to visit The District and business was slow when Areopagus first opened. Now things are picking up, not only for the coffee shop, but surrounding stores as well.

“I think if there is more things over here to draw (customers), the more it’s going to benefit everyone over here,” she said. The avenue “has awesome vintage buildings. The coffee shop really fits in with the feel and the atmosphere.”

While some of the new businesses such as 3rd and 22 and the original coffee shop closed, other developments, including Illinois Casualty Co.’s new office building and the new Robert Young Community Mental Health Center, helped keep the revitalization going, Rock Island’s economic development director Greg Champagne said.

“A lot of times, development kind of feeds on itself,” he said. “It kind of gives (developers) comfort to make an investment.”

Alan Carmen, the city’s planning and redevelopment administrator, said staff have a long-range dream of seeing a tunnel built underneath 24th Street, so pedestrians visiting The District and 3rd Avenue have an easier route to the Quad-City Botanical Center at 2525 4th Ave. He said that would bring more foot traffic to 3rd Avenue and strengthen its potential as an arts corridor.

“We’re focused on getting artists to buy in and live in The District,” Carmen said.

Loula said he and his fellow woodturners, who used to be cramped in Davenport’s Union Arcade building, look forward to it.

“We absolutely love it because it’s been designated an arts community,” he said. “Rock Island has always been a patron of the arts for as long as I can remember.”

Improvements to rock island’s 3rd avenue

Some of the improvements on Rock Island’s 3rd Avenue, east of 20th Street:

DeSoto Arts — $175,000: Conversion of 7,500 square feet to space leased to the Quad-City Woodturners Association and DeSoto Potters. Completed in September.

DuMarche — $1.3 million: Six-unit town home. Construction started in August.

3rd and 22 — $750,000: Converted a church into a restaurant. Finished in 2005 but the business is closed and expected to go on the market later this month.

Areopagus — $200,000: Converted a former dry cleaner into a coffee shop. Finished in 2005 and reopened earlier this year under the current name.

dPhilms — $250,000: Remodeling of former Spector Liquor building. It is a video production facility and leased office space completed in 2003.

Illinois Casualty Co. — $3 million: Office building completed in 2003.

Robert Young Community Mental Health Center — $2 million: Opened in 2003.

Christian Family Care Men’s Facility — $850,000: New facility on the former Cochran Compressor site. The shelter opened in 2004.

Source: City of Rock Island, American Bank and Trust

Dustin Lemmon can be contacted at (563) 383-2493 or dlemmon@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.