Family Theatre (Peter Fries Building)
1903-05 Second Avenue In 1902, a fine new building went up just across the street from downtown’s beautiful Spencer Square. Located at 1903-05 Second Avenue, it was named for its owner and marked “Peter Fries”in relief copper letters. Although the name is blacked out on the postcard, it was located in the rectangle between the … [ Continued
Chicago Burlington & Quincy Station
East Side 20th Street at Second Avenue By any standard, this is an impressive building. And what is even more surprising, is that, for a few years, there were two similar stations in downtown Rock Island. The other one, the Chicago, Minneapolis & St. Paul Station, stood at the end of 17th Street near the … [ Continued
South Wind Motel
4300 11th Street What does it take to be a historic building? According to regulations governing the National Register of Historic Places, the first requirement is a minimum age of fifty years. By that standard, the South Wind Motel on this postcard now qualifies. Although many names have been used to convey the idea of … [ Continued
Illinois Theatre
1600 Second Avenue Rock Island never lacked culture. That was demonstrated in 1901 when a plan to build a new theatre that had been promoted by the Rock Island Club and the Argus finally came to fruition with the hiring of George H. Johnston of St. Louis. But before anything could be built, money had … [ Continued