The Bix Museum in downtown Davenport is getting ready for its big move across 2^nd Street, to a new home in the City Square Building at 112 W. 2nd St., Davenport.

The Bix Museum will be closing their doors in the Redstone building (131 W. 2^nd St.) on June 6th to begin deconstructing the exhibits.

Throughout June, the museum is moving the collection and rebuilding the exhibit in the new, larger space. Director Nate Kraft said recently that their goal is to re-open in mid-July, with a grand opening on Bix 7 weekend, July 25th and 26th, to welcome the tens of thousands of people who will be downtown for the yearly race bearing the namesake of the famous jazz cornetist and composer.

The museum has been in the lower level of the Redstone Building, 131 W. 2nd St., Davenport, since 2017.

After nearly eight years in the lower level of the Common Chord building (at 2^nd and Main streets), the planned relocation is being made possible with the help of a capital campaign that has raised $90,000 of the $120,000 goal so far. This included both private donations and grants from the Regional Development Authority, the Scott County Regional Authority, and the Downtown Davenport Partnership.

The Bix Museum is still accepting donations and are looking for volunteers who can help with activities like painting, moving the collection, and constructing the exhibits to assist with the move. Anyone who is interested in helping can contact director Kraft at director@bixmuseum.org or visit the museum’s website at www.bixmuseum.org/supportus.

Leon “Bix” Beiderbecke was born in Davenport March, 10, 1903, and is buried at Oakdale Memorial Gardens.

Located in the lower level of the historic Redstone building since 2017, this gem of a museum is dedicated to the life and times of Bix Beiderbecke (1903-1931) – a jazz legend and one of Davenport’s most famous sons, originally hoping to complete the move by this past March 10, Bix’s birthday.

The Museum Board began searching for a new home during the flood-related closures in 2023, Kraft said. “We are happy that we will be staying in downtown Davenport and being located in the City Square Building just across Second Street from our current location. The moving costs are estimated to be around $90,000, not counting the landlord’s share of costs. That’s why the fundraising goal is $120,000, to accommodate anything unexpected and to help cover operational costs during the transition.”

The museum will close June 6 and relocate across the street to 112 W. 2nd St., to reopen in mid-July.

The museum’s new lease is comparable to the current one with Common Chord, just scaled up to fit the added square footage (2,100 versus the current 1,600) in the new space, Kraft said, noting new operations will overall increase by around $10,000 a year. The new location will feature office space and a lobby/temp exhibit space.

While historically a free museum, the Bix Museum will be moving to an admission price to help provide more stable funding for their operations. The new admission will be $8 for adults; $5 for seniors, students, and children 5-17; and FREE for museum members, military, veterans, and children under 5. The museum will have group rates and special deals with partners available. The museum will continue to be free admission until they close after June 6th.

The museum features the 1931 piano Bix owned, from his last apartment in Sunnyside, Queens, New York City.

After the Bix Museum settles into their new location, a project to transform the permanent exhibit with rotational exhibit space will begin. “The museum has consistently added new artifacts to the permanent collection each year since 2020,” Kraft said, noting “a rotational gallery will provide the opportunity to show artifacts that don’t fit the main exhibit and better collaborate with like-minded organizations on joint projects in the future. We anticipate starting the project in Spring of 2026.”

The museum is open Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, and by appointment on the weekends. The museum honors the life and music of Leon “Bix” Beiderbecke and features many original artifacts related to Beiderbecke and his colleagues.

The museum takes the visitor chronologically through the life of Bix. His jazz music is featured throughout the museum, along with videos, interactive displays, and photos. For more information, visit www.bixmuseum.org.

Bix Museum director Nate Kraft with a life-sized model of Davenport native Bix Beiderbecke (1903-1931).

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Jonathan Turner

Jonathan Turner -- who has called the Quad Cities home since 1995 -- has decades of experience as a professional journalist and pianist. His experience writing for daily newspapers, public radio and local TV encompasses a wide range of subjects, including the arts, politics, education, economic development, historic preservation, business, and tourism.

Jonathan most loves writing about music and the arts (which he now does as a freelancer for the River Cities Reader and Visit Quad Cities). He has a passion for accompanying musicals, singers, choirs and instrumentalists, including playing for QC Music Guild's 2023 productions of RENT and SWEENEY TODD. He is assistant music director and accompanist for the spring 2025 Music Guild show, ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE. He wrote an original musical based on The Book of Job, which premiered at Playcrafters in 2010. Jonathan penned a 175-page history book about downtown Davenport, that was published by The History Press in 2016, and a travel guide about the QC published by Reedy Press in 2022.