Renew Moline has announced the selection of Bush Development as its partner to give new life to 1701 5th Avenue in Moline. The property was formerly the headquarters of the Riverstone Group and includes a two-story 35,064-square-foot building and a parking lot directly north of the building. The Riverstone Group donated the property to Renew in August 2022 to spur new life and economic development into downtown Moline. The Executive Committee of Renew Moline’s Board of Directors approved the selection of Bush Development at its  January 11, 2022 meeting. “Renew Moline is pleased to announce... Read More

Renew Moline has accepted the donation of RiverStone Group’s former headquarters at 1701 5th Avenue in Moline. The donation was made to spur new life and economic development opportunity for the property and downtown Moline. The building was constructed in 1956 as a JCPenney Department Store, which closed when the store moved to South Park Mall in 1972. The property includes a 35,064-square-foot building and a parking lot directly north of the building. RiverStone used the building to house about 50 employees from the late 1980s to 2019. RiverStone Vice President Mike Ellis said “We are pleased... Read More

It was a day of celebration at the downtown Enterprise Lofts, where Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati and other officials celebrated the announcement of Western Illinois University-Quad Cities decision to open its new Spanish Bilingual Early Learning and Family Empowerment Lab. This exciting project launched the same day Moline began accepting applications for its new ARPA-funded childcare workforce infrastructure loan program. The City remains committed to working with multiple partners – including Renew Moline, Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce, United Way Quad Cities – to expand childcare... Read More

In some hazy, halcyon future when the old I-74 bridge is gone, Moline’s riverfront will have lots of opportunity for growth and redevelopment. A final advisory report done for Renew Moline by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) recommends many big ideas – a new Mill Town neighborhood, Moline history museum and welcome center, much more housing, an arts district, riverfront restaurant, zip line, and a signature water spout shooting up more than 200 feet over the Mississippi River. Creating greater connections with the river is a prime focus of the 44-page plan by Washington, D.C.-based ULI. Renew... Read More

Quad City Arts has wrapped up another round of exciting new projects in the annual Metro Arts youth apprenticeship program, and held a virtual showcase for 2021 on July 8. Since the summer of 2000, Metro Arts has provided area youth 15-21 years old with paid summer apprenticeships in various arts disciplines. The program provides opportunities for youth and enhances the community through the arts. For five weeks, area youth work together in groups to complete art projects under the supervision and mentorship of professional artists. Participants learn the artistic techniques and applications of... Read More

Renew Moline has named Liz Nolte, a Quad-City native and local nonprofit development professional, as its new Operations and Communications Director. Nolte currently serves as the Director of Alumni and Annual Giving at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, and will transition to her new role on June 14th. Nolte has more than 10 years of experience working in nonprofit development, marketing communication, and community engagement. Nolte will oversee Renew Moline’s operations, strategic social media and communications efforts, and community outreach focusing on memberships, partnerships,... Read More

Renew Moline invites the public to a virtual presentation Wednesday, April 21, by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Advisory Services Panel to discuss downtown Moline and the future redevelopment in the I-74 area. Renew Moline, along with the City of Moline, The Deere Foundation, and MetroLINK contributed to fund technical assistance by ULI to develop a strategy surrounding the future I-74 redevelopment area. The panel is comprised of development experts in a variety of disciplines, including retail market assessment, housing development, finance, economic/community development and urban design. The... Read More

EXCLUSIVE: Renew Moline on Friday publicly released a 102-page Public Art and Placemaking Plan, which will be considered by the Moline City Council at its meeting next Tuesday, March 30. The plan lays out three strategies that will help shape the future of public art in downtown Moline and creates a strong foundation in the city to support public art. “Public art in Moline importantly shows a vibrant, growing economy and is reflective of a community emerging from the challenges of the last year,” Mayor Stephanie Acri said in a Friday release. “We are looking forward to seeing the plan and... Read More

MOLINE – Brandon Nees squinted into the sun Wednesday morning at the dilapidated, vacant Spiegel building, and all he saw was bright, boundless possibility. That’s partly because the 25-year-old Davenport artist, who graduated from Moline High School, painted the word “possibility” in big turquoise block letters across seven plywood panels – among nine colorful 7.6-foot-by-6.75 feet panels he created for a $10,000 public mural on the boarded-up ground floor of the city-owned Spiegel building off River Drive (200 20th St.) in downtown Moline. “It’s amazing,” Nees said of the finished... Read More

Local artists are being sought by the city of Moline and Renew Moline to create a $10,000 public art display on the Spiegel Building, 200 20th St., just north of River Drive on the ground floor’s boarded windows. The vacant Spiegel Building is owned by the city, and is one of the few remaining factory buildings in downtown Moline from the industrial era – originally built between 1928 and 1930 as the Eagle Signal Building, according to Renew Moline, a nonprofit organization and public-private partnership. The project intent is “to beautify and draw attention to the building, a city-owned... Read More