The History of Rock Island in Post Cards Postcards were originally printed in the Rock Island Argus and Moline Dispatch, 2001 and are reprinted with permission Eagle Building The Rock Island Aerie 956 of the Fraternal Order of Eagles was organized in 1905 with only 133 members. For the first three years, meetings were held at one of the large upstairs meeting halls that were common in downtown commercial buildings. Finally, in 1908, the Eagles paid $8000 for the first home of their own -- the old Murrin homestead at the southwest corner of 4th Avenue and 21st Street. It was a 1-1/2 story house that faced 21st Street, with a porch that wrapped around on three sides. By 1913, there were thoughts of a new building. It didn't take long. Architect Olof Cervin was retained to make drawings, the Murrin house was demolished, and the Eagles laid the cornerstone in July of 1914. Dedication of the new building quickly followed on November 17, 1915. Costing $70,000, the new building was constructed of HyTex brick. The general contractor was Herman Hansen while the masonry subcontractor was McConochie & Sons. The copper work (all the greenish looking exterior material is copper) was fabricated by Illinois Cornice & Sheet Metal Works. The first floor had space for three stores. The original businesses represented a most unusual combination. James Normoyle installed "tournament" bowling alleys in one of the storefronts (notice the "Bowling" sign above the middle entrance). Next door, Orth Bros. opened a billiard parlor. And the corner storefront was used by August Moeller Undertaking Parlors through the mid 1930s. The best part of the building was saved for the Eagles use. The second floor was used as a club room, and had a "modern, sanitary" kitchen. The third floor contained a huge ballroom that was used for dances and meetings. The rear of the building included an elevator. Formal dedication took place on St. Patrick's Day, 1915, beginning with a parade through downtown. Marchers were variously reported as 1000 or 2000 and either three or five bands participated, including Bleuer's Band, Murphy 's Band and Strauss' Band. After the parade, there were many speeches and a lady Eagle commemorated the holiday by singing a few Irish songs. In the evening, there was a banquet at 6:30 and ballroom dancing from 8 pm till 1 am. The Eagle Building today is remarkably like that pictured on the postcard. Some of the windows have been covered, but most appear to be original. The storefronts have been covered as well. There's now a flagpole at the corner of the building, rather than at the rear as pictured - but the pictured one may have been an artistic embellishment from the postcard company. Our postcard was postmarked in 1924, but was probably printed shortly after completion of the building so that it would be available at the 1916 Eagle convention held here. Reportedly the local Eagles won over Joliet in a competition to be the state convention site that year. The delegates enjoyed the Rock Island facilities and hospitality so much that two more conventions were held here, in 1920 and 1923. By 1925, the Eagles had grown to 1300 members. The aerie then purchased the adjacent lot to the west for a reported $100,000 in anticipation of expanding their building. Aerie 956 did not expand, but did remain in this building until the mid 1970s, when they moved to another building at 2827 5th Street. Today, the Rock Island Eagles roost at 3030 7th Avenue. Since 1994, the building on our postcard has been owned by Jill and Yancy Bolden, who are continuing renovation and restoration. Although the building has always been structurally sound, it has needed updating and redecorating. The Boldens enjoy the beauty of this historic building and Mrs. Bolden points out that it has "awesome construction, incredible quality and great durability". They currently operate Eagle Estate Brokers on the first floor and Eagle Reception Hall in the old third floor ballroom. Back to the Postcard Index Page Publication Building of Modern Woodmen of America Our postcard today depicts the Publication Building of Modern Woodmen of America (MWA) that, for 75 years, was located at 318 16th Street right behind the current Rock Island Police Station. MWA moved to Rock Island from upriver in Fulton in 1897 and shortly thereafter constructed their first building here, a Home Office on the southeast corner of 15th Street and Third Avenue. Basement space in that office building was used for their printing department. Major printing jobs, however, were contracted to private companies, not necessarily located in Rock Island. In 1906, the Post Office ruled that the society's news magazine, "The Modern Woodman," must be mailed from Rock Island, not a printer's location. In response, the Modern Woodmen Council decided they must build their own printing plant. Rock Island architect George Stauduhar drew the plans for the new building, to be known as the Publications Building. It was to be located on 16th Street just around the corner and behind the Home Office. Designed in the Italian Renaissance style, it featured a red clay tile roof above brick and limestone walls. The small dormer at the front of the roof was designed to hold a clock. Notice the huge recessed arch that frames both the impressive main entrance and the second floor balcony with its iron railing. Above the balcony window, the MWA emblem was created in mosaic tile in the large circular inset. Other architectural details on the front include keystones over the windows and beveled stonework joints on the first story. These elegant details extend around the sides a short distance, but are then supplanted by plain utilitarian brick courses, appropriate to the building's industrial use. The printing operation soon outgrew its 50 by 100 foot building, and in 1922 an addition was made at the rear of the building that doubled its size. That addition is depicted as a shadowy sketched outline, and we think it may represent the architect's concept of the new addition, thus dating the postcard. Publications were very important to MWA - some say that the continued success of this fraternal organization is due to its outstanding communication with its members. MWA itself is quoted early in the twentieth century as saying "no organization anywhere has ever kept its members more fully informed of every detail of its affairs." It's hard to conceive now, but the Argus reported that an estimated number of 20,000 out-of-town people attended a MWA picnic here in Rock Island in 1901. Through the years, MWA's success and need for communications and hence printing facilities grew. By the 1980s MWA another expansion of the printing facility resulted in a new building, located east of 20th Street near Second Avenue. As MWA has expanded into new spaces, Rock Island County acquired their historic buildings -both the Home Office and the Publications Building. The Home Office adapted easily to county offices. But what about the Publications Building? Despite its elegant exterior, its interior - both the original and the addition - was utilitarian rather than beautiful. It was, very simply, a printing plant, with a heavy-duty design; strong enough to support a large print operation. But that strong structure and lack of interior partitions meant it could have been adapted for other uses. So what use would work? In 1989 the community got the final answer - this elegant Italian Renaissance Publications Building would be razed for a 50 by 200 foot addition to the county parking lot. Although the building was landmarked by the Rock Island Preservation Commission, that wasn't enough to spare it from demolition. Sometimes we end these columns by suggesting you drive or walk by a historic site for a closer look. This time, we don't think it's worth your effort. Back to the Postcard Index Page Elks Club Building 111-115 18th Street Rock Island Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Lodge No. 980 was organized on June 26, 1905 with B. F. Knox serving as exalted ruler. Initially, the lodge met at the Illinois Theatre on the southeast corner of 16th Street and Second Avenue, now Hyman's Furniture. It only took a short time for the Elks to build their own home on 18th Street, moving to the postcard building in 1908. Downtown Rock Island was booming in this, the first decade of the twentieth century. New buildings were going up all over - the Best Building (now Plaza Office Building), the London (Quad City Arts), the Safety Building, and more had been built or were under construction in 1908.  Other buildings were being extensively improved. It must have been a great relief to all when the Elks decided to construct their fine new building on a lot that had been an eyesore for years. Since at least the early 1890s, when a small building termed "vacant and dilapidated" was on the lot, this prime real estate was unused and very inappropriate in our prosperous downtown. The three-story Elks Club Building was designed with three storefronts that could be rented to provide income for the Elks while they occupied the upper floors. During the early years, these storefronts held a pool hall, saloon and a tailor. A door at the far left (north) was the entrance to upstairs, the Elks lodge and offices. The Elks left in the late 1920s, moving to a new home on 19th Street, and their upstairs space was taken over by the Loyal Order of Moose. By the 1940s, the Moose were gone, too, and the Teamster's Union had moved in. But there was stability at the corner entrance - it always led to a saloon or tavern. Other areas of the building were used for everything from a tobacco warehouse to an electronic school, to a VFW Post - and there were many intermittent vacancies. Finally, in the mid 1990s, it became the home of the Blue Cat Brew Pub, which remains there today. But when we compare the Blue Cat's home to the building on the postcard, we notice a big difference. The entire third story is missing! When and why was it removed? We think it likely happened around 1940, and probably resulted from a fire or some other catastrophe. There usually isn't much reason to remove the top floor of a building, even if it's vacant, when it can be simply closed off and not used. Still we can easily recognize parts of the current building on the postcard of the three story one - even the chimney that protrudes on the right side of the picture is in the same place. However the loss of the elaborate cornice and windows is significant. It is interesting to notice that the top trim on the wide brick panels between the groups of windows made those panels appear like square columns supporting the cornice. That column detail, on a smaller scale, is still there between the individual second story windows within each group. These quite modern windows, with a fixed sash between two double-hung windows, are known as a "Chicago style window." These windows were very popular in commercial buildings such as this. You can spot more Chicago style windows downtown, too. Renovations in recent years have made the building much more attractive than it had been since the loss of its top floor. Although there is now only one major entrance to the pub and restaurant, the pattern of windows on the storefronts have been reworked to be reminiscent of the historic appearance. The iron support column at the former saloon corner remains and the old stairway entrance to the Elks lodge can still be used to get upstairs. Renovations also exposed a vintage chewing tobacco sign that you can see painted directly on the brick wall, probably from the building's days as a tobacco warehouse. The Blue Cat is a wonderful example of how a building that been poorly remodeled in the past can be partially restored to reflect the historic architecture that remains. Back to the Postcard Index Page Prince Hall Masonic Home  3720 5th Street For much of its life, the location of the Prince Hall Masonic Home was simply noted as "foot of 37th Avenue," an appropriate address for this historic building. Surprisingly, it still looks much as it does on our "real photo" postcard as it overlooks a scenic view of the Rock River. Many think that its name means this building was called a hall. Rather it was named in honor of a man, Prince Hall, who is known as the Father of Black Masonry.  Black Masonry is as old as this country. It began at the time of the Revolutionary War in 1775 when fourteen free black men were initiated into Lodge 441 in Boston. But Black Masons did not receive all Masonic privileges until 1784, when the Grand Lodge in England granted a charter to African Lodge 459. Soon thereafter, the African Grand Lodge was created and Prince Hall became its first Grand Master, serving until his death in 1807. Masons were and are male organizations. Recognizing that their wives, widows, sisters, and daughters also wanted to be a part of Masonry, the Order of Eastern Star was created as a feminine counterpart to the Masons. The Prince Hall Grand Lodge continues in existence today with over 4,500 lodges worldwide and a membership of over 300,000. According to their website, "any good hearted man who is worthy and well qualified can seek more light in Masonry". And the good-heartedness of Illinois Prince Hall Masons and Eastern Star ladies was demonstrated as early as 1891, when they created their first statewide home for aged Masons, widows and orphans. That home, located at the rear of a member's home on South Dearborn Street in Chicago was replaced in 1896 with another home at 33rd Street and Armour Avenue. But Illinois's black Masons weren't satisfied with Chicago. In 1904 they decided to build a new home in Rock Island on a 4 1Ú4 acre site on 37th Avenue near the Rock River. That two-story frame house, which cost $1400, is at the far right of our postcard. The surrounding area was rural - the only thing nearby was Charles Dasso's greenhouse to the north. The press called the area "a pretty place in the heart of nature, where there is everything conducive to life." As Rock Island's Henry Burris, Illinois Grand Master from 1898 - 1905, said of the site during the cornerstone ceremony, "White Masons have an elegant and more pretentious home in Chicago, but the inmates are cooped up like prisoners. Colored people on the other hand will have a nice large playground." In 1927, after adjacent land was purchased, the frame home was replaced with the grand building on our postcard. As many as five thousand people, including dignitaries from across the state, attended the dedication of this $75,000 three-story brick building that was 29 by 151 feet and could house 73 people. Our postcard was probably made shortly after the dedication, before the previous home was demolished as planned. It shows the facade from the northwest, with its classical two-story porch that faces the Rock River. The building is parallel to the river and the two-story porch offers one of the most beautiful and undeveloped views of that waterway and Turkey Island. The porch is actually at the back of the building, and it was obviously designed to provide great pleasure to its residents. The opposite side contains the single story main entrance that is framed with Masonry and Eastern Star emblems. A magnified view of the postcard shows ladies and gentlemen on the porch and on the grounds, all well dressed, with most wearing hats. Black Masonry is now represented in Rock Island by the King Solomon Lodge No. 20 at 5th Avenue and 11th Street. Around 1970, several additional buildings appropriately named Riverview Apartments, were constructed in front of the original Prince Hall Home. More recently, the 162 apartments were taken over by a private owner and renamed Maple Ridge Apartments. But you can see the original Prince Hall Home tucked behind these new buildings, still with a marvelous and unobstructed view of the river from its ten apartments. It's worth a visit to see this building that is so significant in Rock Island's black heritage. Even today, it is obvious that the original Prince Hall Masonic Home is indeed "a pretty place in the heart of nature". Back to the Postcard Index Page Peter Fries Building - Family Theater  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 our postcard, it was located in the rectangle between the second and third floors. Five years earlier, in 1897, Mr. Fries had built in another handsome building just two blocks west that included a similar panel displaying the words "Fries Building." That first structure is now undergoing renovation as part of the Renaissance Building. Our Peter Fries Building (Family Theatre) was probably designed by the architectural firm of Drack and Kerns, who had designed the earlier building. Similarities between the two structures abound, especially in their use of triple windows within three separate bays. Instead of the decorative round windows seen near the cornice of the Fries Building, this one uses dramatic arched windows atop each bay.  Although our postcard calls this the Family Theatre, the original occupant was the Central Bowling Alley and Billiard Hall. Upper rooms were rented for a dancing studio. Bowling and billiards didn't last. Only a few years later, the building was converted into the Family Theatre, a vaudeville operation. The Knights of Columbus rented the entire third floor and part of the nearby Dolly building as well The postcard shows that the Family Theatre had a large sign hanging perpendicular to the building. The marquee was a simple but elegant canopy that offered protection but no advertising. Notice the sign on the sidewalk, probably touting the current entertainment. Since our postcard is called the Family Theatre, we know it dates from before 1915, when architect George Stauduhar drew plans to once again remodel the theatre, this time into a movie house. With the remodeling came a name change. The Family Theatre became the Spencer Square Theatre. A 1936 photo of the Spencer Theatre shows a larger but still elegant marquee advertising the current movie, "Black Legion" starring Humphrey Bogart. Admission is also noted as 15 cents for matinees and 25 cents for evenings. Although the upper two stories in 1936 are unchanged from our postcard, the street level looks quite different. Most notable, in addition to the marquee, is a new "Arabian" balcony enclosing a latticed Gothic window set above the doorway on the left. Perhaps this whimsical feature was intended to set the scene for an interior theme. It is hard for younger folks to believe how accessible movies were a couple of generations ago, by foot, car, or public transportation. Our downtown - as did other communities - had several theatres. Even more theatres were located in Rock Island's smaller business areas on 14th Avenue and on 9th Street. Nowadays, of course, a movie theatre is a long drive from just about anywhere. Spencer Theatre continued as a movie house until around 1950, although the upper floors were converted to Spencer Apartments sometime in the 1940s. Then the theatre closed with the apartments remaining a bit longer. Finally, in the mid 1950s, the Peter Fries Building as well as the adjacent Dolly Building are identified in City Directories only as "City Parking Lot." Later, the small parking lot was enlarged by the demolition of the remaining buildings facing Second Avenue. Back to the Postcard Index Page   Fort Armstrong Theater 1937 Fort Armstrong Theater  Its given name was the "Fort Armstrong Theatre" and it was called the "Castle That Shadows Built." The shadows, of course, referred to the silent movies that were shown there. Later it was named simply "The Fort." Now it is "Circa 21," named for 1921, the year the theatre first opened, and it is the home of live musical theatre, concerts and special performances - with dinner too. It is one of Rock Island's most unusual and special buildings - so special that we are printing two different postcards today. Although the first postcard wasn't published until the early 1980s, it depicts a drawing of the Fort Armstrong Theatre when it first opened. The second postcard dates from 1937 and shows the huge new marquee and vertical sign that had just been installed.  The Fort Armstrong Theatre was built during the grand years of movie palaces, an era when big theatres across the country were designed with a theme. Usually centering on an exotic place - a Renaissance palace, a Spanish courtyard, an Arabian garden - the theme was also reflected in the theatre name - Granada, Rialto, Alhambra, Coronado, to name but a few. In a bold move away from such fantasy and fakery, the theme of the Fort Armstrong Theatre was much closer to home - our Illinois Indian and prairie heritage. Built on the site of a massive old YMCA Building that we wrote about several weeks ago, it was the dream of Walter Rosenfield, a prominent businessman who would soon become mayor of Rock Island. Mr. Rosenfield formed a company to build a theatre, then traveled to Chicago to hire the Braun and Ermling architectural firm as designers. It has been reported that the concept for an Indian and prairie theme was Mr. Rosenfield's idea, but who actually did the majority of the design work? Several have claimed credit, and perhaps the credit must be shared. We know that the local architectural firm of Cervin and Horn was actively involved during the construction. Benjamin Horn, a 1918 University of Illinois graduate had recently joined Olof Cervin, who had been a practicing architect for twenty years. Mr. Horn claimed credit for conceiving the idea of using pioneer days as a design theme. And we also know that Braun and Ermling employed a young draftsman, Rudolph C. Sandberg, whom they sent to Rock Island to supervise construction. Mr. Sandberg, who soon moved his family to Rock Island and became an architect, is generally accepted as the designer of all of the terra cotta (glazed ceramic) ornament on the exterior of the building and possibly some the decorative plasterwork on the interior as well. Mr. Sandberg visited local collections of authentic Indian artifacts to sketch them for inspiration. In later years as an architect, he designed the Illinois Oil Products Building on 24th Street and 4th Avenue, which also has a great deal of glazed ceramic trim. And, finally, William H. Lautz, an instructor of architecture at the Chicago Art Institute, worked on the proscenium - the tall arch above the stage - which depicts plaster relief details of Indian life and pioneer days. The theatre, which seated 1800 (700 in the balcony) was constructed by Moline contractor Brissman & Company. For its grand opening on January 19, 1921, The Rock Island Argus published a special supplement describing the theatre, its construction, and its entertainment programs in great detail. It was designed to be a "happy" theatre, not "sombre, gaudy or cheap." Molded decorations and bright color were everywhere, inside and out, and each detail reinforced the Indian and prairie theme. Occasionally the Indian imagery had a source other than the prairie -- notably the huge genuine Navaho blanket, which reportedly served as a stage curtain. Six custom-designed chandeliers hung from the ceiling. They were made of imitation sheepskin - parchment - and looked like an inverted umbrella or teepee, with ribs formed from arrows, and real feathers dangling downward. The stage backdrop was a detailed painting of Rock Island as viewed from the river. On opening night a ten-piece orchestra played from the orchestra pit, then several silent movies were shown, with the new pipe organ providing background music. Theatre patrons could have a snack at the corner cigar store and soda fountain operated by Hickey Brothers or go to Hickey's upstairs tearoom that was accessible directly from the theatre as well as from the cigar shop. The Garden Shop now occupies the old Hickey Brothers shop. Musical and film programs continued for several years. But by 1929 the theatre announced it would abandon stage shows and "movies" to specialize in "talking pictures." The talkies were successful for decades, so successful that that two movie premiers were held here, in 1945 and 1951. However by the 1960s suburban movie complexes drew patronage from downtown theatres. The Fort fell on hard times, showing second run and childrens' movies, and then was closed. After it had been vacant for several months in 1972, rumors arose of its impending demolition. The rumor was quelled by the firm denial of Rosenfield heirs, who still owned the building. The theatre was again rented and reopened, but less than a year later, the film management company began to show adult films. The future indeed looked bleak and it looked like even Walter Rosenfield's children wouldn't be able to save the theatre. Dennis Hitchcock, described at the time as "young dark haired man from Minnesota" and his Dinner Theatre Associates, Ltd. arrived on the scene just in the nick of time. His company purchased the building from the Rosenfield heirs in 1976, then undertook renovation and remodeling to adapt the interior for dining as well as theatre. Finally, it was renamed Circa 21 to honor its original 1921 opening. And on June 10, 1977, the theatre gloriously reopened as a dinner playhouse, featuring "I Do, I Do" as its first offering. Soon thereafter, the theatre was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. And then Mr. Hitchcock printed our postcard showing the historic architectural drawing (the original of the drawing hangs in the theatre), which shows a very simple marquee suspended by chains. However it likely does not accurately represent that first marquee, as an photo published in 1922 shows fancy panels, with movable lettering, rising above each end of the simple marquee. In addition, a tall vertical sign was suspended above the second story windows. This was probably the "display sign" which, according to the special Argus supplement, was "custom designed to ensure harmony with the rest of the building." It contained illuminated letters and a border of lights around the edge with a cluster of lights at the top to light the feathers of an Indian headdress. The word "Fort" appeared in small letters below the headdress, while "Armstrong" in larger letters ran vertically. This sign, too, is visible on the 1922 photo. In the mid 1930s, there was a major renovation that included new seats and "modernization from box office to stage." This is when the big marquee and vertical sign shown on the second postcard were installed. Notice that the name was shortened to just "Fort," probably to avoid confusion with the nearby Fort Armstrong hotel, which had been built in the mid 1920s. The large brightly-lit marquee and sign, although typical of the era, overwhelmed the theatre's intricate exterior details. Again Dennis Hitchcock to the rescue. Soon after opening Circa 21, the ugly 1930s marquee and sign were removed, leaving a simple framework, reminiscent of that on the drawing, with a simple canvas covering. And just recently, in honor of Circa 21's 25th year, the marquee has been recreated with an appearance very close to the 1922 photo, although without the vertical sign. At the same time, a tremendous amount of restoration occurred on the inside of the theatre. The images around the stage have been carefully colored and now leap out from their formerly monochromatic background. This detailed paintwork has brought out previously unseen details, like the pair of owls near the stage. Other areas have been renovated as well and even new draperies have been custom tailored to reflect the original designs. There's so much more we could tell you, but we just don't have enough space. It's worth a trip to the library to view the Argus archives. Then stroll down the street a block to see the new Circa 21 marquee. Finally plan to take in a dinner theatre performance. You'll see a talented performance in a wonderful atmosphere and - and eat well, too. Why not have a "scavenger hunt" to see who can identify the most artifacts in the theatre details. As noted above, Circa 21 was named for the year 1921. With all the recent restoration, the name becomes even more appropriate as this marvelous theatre graces Rock Island in the 21st Century. Back to the Postcard Index Page