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Davenport, IL – For decades, the old Moline High School on 16th Street had been used for storage until last December when new loft apartments opened. On Friday, those responsible for the renovation celebrated the building’s grand opening with tours and speeches.

The city had been looking for someone to invest in the 92-year-old building at 1001 16th St. for years after the school closed in 1958.

“This building should have been torn down,” Jim Bowman, executive director of Renew Moline, said. “It was well on its way. Today is a celebration.”

In 2005, Gorman and Company, Inc., based in Madison, Wisc., began construction at the building with $800,000 in low- and interest-free loans from the Illinois Housing Development Authority and nearly $500,000 in federal low-income housing tax credits.

The 60-units went fast when the building opened Dec. 1, after a few construction delays, Tom Capp, chief operating officer for Gorman, said. By the end of the month they were at full capacity and have been operating at or just beneath 100 percent occupancy since then.

“I would say in many ways this is a development that really sold itself,” Capp said, noting there was advertising, but many residents were interested in living close to downtown in a mixed-income development.

Twelve of the 60-units are designed to meet special needs, and the old school includes unique features many apartment buildings don’t with a residents’ art gallery, a kiln, darkroom, computer center, woodworking room, theater, exercise facility and community area.

Capp said similar projects the company has done elsewhere have housed a wide range of incomes all within one structure, from people making $10,000 a year to those making $250,000 annually. He said it’s too early to establish those numbers at the Moline building, which overlooks the Mississippi River a few blocks south of City Hall.

The project is the first for Gorman in Illinois, Capp said, adding the company wants to build its reputation here.

“We do want to be a real asset in the state,” he said. “We’re very excited to be in Illinois.”

While the building’s hallways contain fresh paint, carpeting and lighting its interior has not changed much since it was a school. Some of the display cases still contain old photographs of students.

After the school closed the building housed Moline Community College, now known as Black Hawk College, and more recently Beling Engineering.

Many speaking at Friday’s event said the reuse of the building will also assist efforts to bring housing downtown.

Mayor Don Welvaert said it was a challenge for the city to find a new use for the old building, which still holds a lot of memories for its graduates.

“A lot of the community does not realize the problems the city has to face with an old school building or church,” he said, noting there are zoning issues for starters.

Tenant James Larrabee, a European history teacher at Black Hawk College, who just moved to Moline from Binghamton, N.Y., a month ago, said he prefers living in a mixed-income community where people aren’t segregated based on their income.

“The chance to live this close to downtown and be a part of the community is great,” he said, adding he also enjoys close access to public transportation.

Old Moline High School Loft Apartments, 1001 16th St.
Rents for Affordable Housing Development Credit units:

One bedroom (24 units): $470 to 585
Two bedrooms (20 units): $570 to 645
Three bedrooms (10 units): $655 to 805