May is National Historic Preservation Month

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In celebration of National Historic Preservation Month, the Rock Island Preservation Society will present its annual Preservation Awards for work completed during 2012 at the Rock Island City Council meeting on Monday, May 20, 2013 at 6:45PM.  A reception will be held following the presentation in honor of the award winners.  Please join us in celebrating preservation success stories in Rock Island. 

1889 Birdseye Map

In 1975, First National Bank of Rock Island (no longer existing) reprinted the original 1889 birdseye map of our city.  Some were donated to RIPS and we still have a limited number in our archives.  The maps measure about 19 inches high and 28 inches wide and are in full color on high quality heavy paper.  The depiction of the buildings is amazingly detailed.  And the maps have been stored flat so no need to worry about a tightly curled map.  If you would like to purchase one, please send your name, address and phone number with a check for $25 to RIPS, PO Box 3261, Rock Island, IL 61204-3261.  We will hand-deliver, arrange for pickup, or mail to you if necessary.

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The Wallace Grove Neighborhood

Editorial by Linda Anderson, President, Rock Island Preservation Society

It is a twist on an age-old question: which came first, the neighborhood or the school? In 1908 the Rock Island School Board purchased five lots on 18^th Avenue in an addition called Wallace Grove. The city directory that year listed only two addresses in the four block area between 26^th and 28^th Streets, 16^th and 18^th Avenues. In 1912, sixteen houses dotted the neighborhood and in September of that year a wood frame school building opened near the corner of 26^th Street and 18^th Avenue. The neighborhood and surrounding area continued to grow and soon the original Audubon School proved to be too small. The School Board purchased additional land and in 1912 a large two story, brick, state of the art, “fireproof” elementary school was built on the site. Three hundred and twenty-four students began their fall term in the beautiful building designed by Rock Island architect Benjamin Horn. One thousand five hundred people attended the formal dedication ceremonies. This beautiful building and its landscaped grounds were clearly a commitment made by a growing community to the education of its children.

The neighborhood north of the Audubon School was part of that growing community.  It was a neighborhood of families, most of whom owned their homes.  Occupations were varied incuding tradesmen,  railroad employees, salesmen, school teachers, a school principal, an Augustana librarian, a postal carrier and an auditor. The homes were built over a period of 20 years and in a variety of architectural styles.

No fewer than four homes in this small Wallace Grove neighborhood north of Audubon School have been recognized for their architectural distinction by being listed on Rock Island Preservation Commission’s Most Significant Unprotected Structures List. As is the unique string of bungalow style courtyard apartments at 1605 26^th Street known as Richard’s Bungalow Court.

The Clevenstine House at 1700 26^th Street is a Bungalow-style home built in 1925. Stone is the most eye-catching feature of the home. It is used on the side walls of the porch steps, the porch piers and the front chimney. Cedar shakes provide the siding for the house including the large square columns on the front porch. Multiple gables mark the roofline. The home is thought to be a Gordon-Van Tine kit house…No. 612 “A Striking Three-Bedroom Bungalow” that varied from the catalog only by the addition of stone. Gordon-Van Tine was a Davenport millwork manufacturer that sold much of its millwork by catalog. It also supplied larger companies, notably Sears, Roebuck & Co., and in 1916 it entered the pre-cut housing market selling kit houses of its own. For more information on Gordon-Van Tine, visit www.gordonvantine.com. Traveling salesman, Emmert Clevenstine and his wife Lulu were the first of many owners of this truly distinctive home.

The Lundberg House at 1626 27^th Street is a craftsman style house built in 1916 and owned for 35 years by Edward and Marie Lundberg. Craftsman features that are visible on this home include exposed braces and rafters, dormer walls covered with cedar shingles, and stucco porch piers supporting square tapered columns. But it is the chimney that grabs your attention. Granite boulders are large on the bottom, and then smaller stones follow a winding path upward to the chimney top that is again covered in large stones.

The Skallberg House at 1698 28^th was built in 1911 and was the home of Emily Skallberg. The Shingle-style home, as its name implies, has its second story covered in shingles. The second story front gable extends out over the porch columns, allowing for an unusual recessed front porch. Although unusual, a very similar house sits at 1650 30^th Street. The many oriel windows are a dominant feature of this house. An oriel window is like a bay that projects out from the wall, but does not reach the ground. The front gable features the largest oriel, with three windows. The oriel windows on the south side of the house use shingles to integrate them into the façade. The first floor of the house has a stucco finish and plain Tuscan columns supported by heavy, square stucco piers accent the front porch.

The Driffell House at 2605 17^th Ave was first owned by Frank Perkins, but within one year it was purchased by Benjamin L. and Lillian Driffell, who would live here until around 1946. Ben Driffill was president of Driffill Printing Company. But he was equally well known for his meticulously cared for lawn. The house itself is a beautiful side-gabled Colonial Revival with exquisite detailing including triple dormers topped with modillions and pediments, modillions and dentil trim on the fascia boards, and Ionic capitals on the porch columns. Side porches are common on Colonial Revival homes, but this one with narrow windows and front-facing French doors is extra special.

May is National Historic Preservation Month, and the past few years I have suggested that a great way to celebrate the occasion is to discover one of Rock Island's older neighborhoods.  This year, let me recommend Wallace Grove.  Take a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood and while enjoying the architecture, ponder the question, which came first the neighborhood or the school?  It is clear to me that Audubon School drew people to this neighborhood.  Audubon School, the building, continues today to be an important stabilizing anchor for a little known architecturally significant neighborhood being buffeted by change.

Visit RenovateQC Website

Our innovative and interactive community-based website is up and runnign!  Developed in partnership with Rock Island Preservation Commission and City of Rock Island, the website is designed to support restoration of historic buildings in the Quad Cities by informing, educating, inspiring and supporting property owners with appropriate maintenance and rehabilitation techniques. 

RenovateQC.org, available at http://renovateqc.org/, will help you find Quad Cities-based contractors, suppliers and specialty rehabilitation services in 40 different categories, such as "plaster & stucco," "carpenters," "handyman & odd jobs," and "upholsterers."  The initial list came from recommendations by Rock Island Preservation Commission, Broadway Historic District Association, Highland Park Historic District Neighborhood Association, Rock Island Landmark owners and owners of historic properties in Moline and Davenport.  And now you are invited to recommend contractors who have done good work for you.  Register on the site, supply contractor contact information and add your personal recommendation.  A volunteer webmaster team reviews all comments and recommendations before they are posted.  Only positive recommendations will be added.  But if negative comments are received, a contractor can be removed from the listing.

RenovateQC.org also features renovation tips, articles and resource links.  The website already contains more than 50 entries that can be searched by keywords.  And just as with recommendations, as a registered user, you can submit articles, tips and links to share.

Another interactive component of the website is the discussion forum.  Simply register, post your question and watch the discussion begin.  Questions and answers will remain on the site and are search-able by keywords, serving as an on-going resource for future renovators.

So check it out and become a registered user by clicking on "Create New Account".  You will be asked to enter a user name and password as well as your real name and email address.  You may wish to chose a user name that is anonymous since it will appear when you post a comment.  What a great opportunity for property owners across the Quad Cities to share information and promote quality restoration!

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The tour booklet Watch Hill: A Walking Tour of "Rock Island's Newest and Most Beautiful Subdivision" Historic Homes from 1940s & 1950s has been reprinted.  Copies are available at Rock Island Public Library in the information kiosk near the main entrance and on the second floor of Rock Island City Hall.

Our Mission

We are a city-wide organization in Rock Island, Illinois, that advocates for preservation of our built environment through public education, research of historic buildings and sites and registration of significant historical places with local, state and federal authorities.

Our Activities and Projects

We raise public awareness of historic buildings and neighborhoods by activities such as:

• Preservation Awards & Criteria
• Postcards from Home column in the Rock Island Argus
• Neighborhood walking tours
• Production of tour guides and booklets
• Quarterly newsletter
• Informal assistance to people interested in researching the history of their home or building
• Survey of recent architecture project (in process)
• Rock Island Architects project (in process)
• Villa Entrance Arch Reconstruction project

Next Meeting

Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. and are open to the public.  For the location of our next meeting please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . 

Become a Member

We meet at 7:00 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at various locations. As a member you will receive a quarterly newsletter, email agendas before meetings and minutes afterwards at your request. We do NOT distribute your email address to others. While your active participation is welcomed, inactive (dues only) memberships that help support our work are also welcome. For more information contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Membership Application:

Fill it out, print it and mail it along with a $10 check to: Rock Island Preservation Society
PO Box 3261
Rock Island, IL 61204-3261