Thursday / July 21, 2016 / 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Preservation has left the station: How we tried to save the Moline Train Station
AIA Chicago, 35 East Wacker Drive, #250
Built in 1900, the Moline Train Depot is slated for demolition to make room for the entrance ramp of the new I-74 bridge crossing over the Mississippi River. After a nearly decade-long struggle with IDOT by several local and state preservation organizations, their mission has gone from preservation of the building, to documentation and preservation of elements of the station. What can we learn from this lengthy and unsuccessful struggle? Here from organizations involved with the struggle, their initial strategies to save the building, and what changes they would make to their approach for future preservation attempts.
Speakers:
-- Diann Moore, President of the Moline Preservation Society
-- Craig Sommers, Vice President of the Moline Preservation Society
-- Frank Butterfield, Landmarks Illinois
This program has been organized by the Association for Preservation Technology International, Western Great Lakes Chapter.
Davenport, Rock Island and Northwestern Depot in Moline: c1900 (left) and c2015 (right).
According to Landmarks Illinois which placed this building on its Most Endangered list in 2009:
Located in the Quad Cities on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River, the Davenport, Rock Island and Northwestern Depot was designed by architect Olof Z. Cervin, AIA (1868-1949) of Rock Island, completed in 1900, and in active use for over 30 years. In 1934, the decommissioned depot was converted into offices for the Frank Foundry Company. The City of Moline purchased the building in 1994, designated it a local landmark, and renovated it as a Visitor Center. That facility closed in May 2008, and the building has since been vacant. A new federal highway bridge is scheduled for construction at this location, and the depot stands in the way of an off-ramp.
Diann Moore (left) is a native of Moline and was graduated from Moline High School, Black Hawk College, and Northern Illinois University with a B.S. in Education. She taught world history for three years at United Township High School and for fourteen years at Moline High School. In 1986, Moore co-founded the Moline Preservation Society and has served as its president, vice president, secretary, and program and awards chair. She has also served on the City of Moline Historic Preservation Commission and is a supporter of Landmarks Illinois. In 2009, she partnered with Kathleen Seusy, Curt Roseman, and Gena Schantz as authors of the Echoes From Riverside Cemetery book. She has also worked with Curt Roseman on A Century of Players, Performers, and Pageants, Wharton Field House and Browning Field, Moline, Illinois. Diann also volunteers with the Junior Board of the Quad-City Symphony and the Moline Junior Service League.
Craig Sommers (center) is a lifelong resident of Moline. He is a graduate of Black Hawk College, Illinois Police Training Institute, and Western Illinois University with a B. S. degree in Law Enforcement Administration. He retired as a Sergeant from the Moline Police Department after a thirty-year career as a Patrol Supervisor, Traffic Investigator, tactical team leader and certified Hazardous Materials Instructor. Craig currently works for Trimble Pointe Companies as a fleet coordinator and funeral assistant and serves as secretary of the Moline Police Pension Board. Craig is vice president of the Moline Preservation Society and is concerned about restoration, maintenance and adaptive re-use of residential and commercial buildings and brick streets. His interest in preservation also includes collecting and restoring antique cars.
Frank Butterfield (right) joined Landmarks Illinois in 2013 as the director of Landmarks Illinois’ Springfield Office, the organization’s first regional office, which has greatly expanded its statewide network of resources. Prior to joining Landmarks Illinois, Frank was Director of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Wisconsin Field Office. He has a BS in Chemistry from Boston College and an MS in Historic Preservation from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
