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Matt Timion - 4th Ward Alderman - City of Moline, IL

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Matt Timion - 4th Ward Alderman - City of Moline, IL

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06/11/2026

Then & Now: The Butterworth House

This postcard shows one of Moline’s grandest historic homes: the Butterworth House. Built in 1892, the house was a wedding gift from Charles Deere, son of John Deere, for his daughter Katherine Deere and her husband William Butterworth. The family called the home “Hillcrest.”

Perched high above the city in Moline’s Overlook District, the house reflected the wealth and influence of the Deere family during the height of Moline’s industrial growth. Over the years, the Butterworths greatly expanded the mansion, adding elegant entertaining spaces, formal gardens, and even one of the largest residential pipe organs in the Midwest. When comparing the postcard to the photo taken recently, many of the additions become evident.

Katherine Deere Butterworth became known for her philanthropy and community involvement throughout the Quad Cities. After her death in 1953, the home was preserved through the William Butterworth Foundation and eventually became the Butterworth Center, which still serves the community today.

Today, the Butterworth Center & Deere-Wiman House remain some of the best-preserved reminders of the Deere family’s enormous impact on Moline history.

06/08/2026

Then & Now: 5th Avenue (looking east)

5th Avenue is a popular subject of postcards. Once the economic hub of the city, this area of 5th Avenue became the new business district after retailers left 3rd Avenue (now River Drive) for greener pastures a few blocks away.

Most of the buildings in this postcard are still there. On the right the old Shaleen Furniture Company is now Melis pancake house. The clothing store on the left is now Griffin Floorcrafters.

06/04/2026

Then & Now: The G.A. Stephens Residence

Long before the parking lot beside the Scottish Rite Cathedral/The Spotlight Theatre existed, this property was home to one of Moline’s most prominent pioneer families.

George A. Stephens was a co-founder of the Moline Plow Company, which later became part of the massive agricultural manufacturing industry that helped shape Moline’s identity. The Stephens family became one of the city’s most influential early industrial families, and their estate stretched across a huge portion of the hilltop. In fact, the front lawn of the property extended north across what is now 7th Avenue into present-day Stephens Square.

George A. Stephens died in 1900, and after the family left Moline in the 1920s, the property was divided. The portion containing the mansion was sold in 1923 to the Scottish Rite Cathedral Association. The old mansion was later demolished to make room for the new cathedral.

The Scottish Rite Cathedral, which still stands today at 1800 7th Avenue, was dedicated in 1930. Designed in a dramatic Gothic Revival style, it reportedly cost about $450,000 to build, an enormous investment at the time.

One important detail often forgotten today is that the Stephens mansion did not sit where the cathedral now stands. The house was actually located roughly where the current parking lot sits beside the cathedral. I have included a map from 1912 and a screenshot of Google Maps of the same area to show where the house stood.

06/01/2026

Then & Now: the "new" High School

The original “new” Moline High School on 16th Street opened in 1914, replacing the older 1894 school known as “The Castle.” Cost for construction was approximately $200,000. For more than 40 years, this hilltop building served as the home of Moline students and became one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks.

In 1946 parts of the building were used for the Moline Community College to provide education for World War II veterans. The Moline Community College eventually became Black Hawk College.

In 1958, Moline High School outgrew this building and moved to its current campus on Avenue of the Cities.

The Old Moline High School Lofts opened in 2006. The project includes 26 one-bedroom apartments, 22 two-bedroom apartments, 12 three-bedroom apartments at affordable and market rate rents. Twelve of these units are targeted toward the physically disabled. The development includes a media center, a business center, a community room, and a fitness room. The total project cost was $9,885,426.

05/28/2026

Then & Now: The Jubilee On The Boardwalk

Opened in 1987, The Jubilee on the Boardwalk was a three story floating restaurant, opened by Joe Schadler, the owner of the Queen of Hearts Showboat.

Mr. Schadler announced plans to build the floating restaurant in May of 1986 when he sought docking permits from the Army Corps of Engineers. The restaurant was one piece in Schadler’s plan to market river excursions and tours attractions in the Quad Cities.

After the advent of legalized riverboat gambling in Illinois, Mr. Schadler hoped to win one of the states gaming licenses, a hope enhanced when the Moline City Council said it preferred that any riverboat gambling operation here be located on Mr. Schadler’s riverfront site.

Riverboat partnerships with Las Vegas casinos failed to pan out.

The Jubilee closed in December of 1992, and was sold down the river to a gambling operation in Mississippi. Records indicate that this boat ended up as a casino after all, just not in Moline.

05/25/2026

Then & Now: The Chautauqua Building

Built in 1903 by the Tri-City Railway Company, The building was an open-air pavilion. At the time Prospect Park was owned by the railway company, and was often referred to as the little "Coney Island."

In addition to rides, swimming, pony rides, and a zoo, the pavillion was a place for Chautauqua performances. The Chautauqua movement was a nationwide 'subtle revolution' that brought education and the arts to local communities through a unique mix of lectures, concerts, and live theater.

The building fell into disarray after the advent of motion pictures and automobiles decreased the demand for such entertainment.

During 1949 the Quad City Music Guild chose the theater for the site of its first production, ultimately saving the pavilion from demolition. Over the years many improvements have been made to the building. A cement floor was laid, dressing rooms furnished, curtains purchased, and orchestra pit developed and a workroom constructed beneath the stage.

05/21/2026

Then & Now: Black Hawk College

These two postcards show Black Hawk College.

Black Hawk College was founded in 1946 as Moline Community College to serve World War II veterans. The institution was later renamed Black Hawk College in 1961. While the institution was founded in '46, the current Quad-Cities campus in Moline has undergone various developments since then, including major renovations initiated in 2020.

The major renovations are noticeable when comparing the old postcards to their modern day photos. The investment in the community and the quality education make this community college a bright spot in our already great city.

05/18/2026

Then & Now: The Rock River Bridge (also known as the "Moline Bridge")

From 1876 until 1898, the Rock River bridge in Moline (27th Street aka Highway 150) was a toll bridge. It cost cattle 4 cents to cross; a sheep or hog 2 cents; horses, mules or asses were 5 cents unsaddled, 10 cents if saddled; and 15 cents for a wagon drawn by a horse or mule, each additional animal cost 5 cents each. The city provided a home for a city employee to live on site and collect tolls. (thank you Retro Quad Cities)

When the bridge was rebuilt in 1876, the Rock River was not considered navigable by boat. The bridge was used for livestock, pedestrians, wagons, and eventually trains cars to cross the bridge. Monthly reports of the revenue generated at the bridge were posted in the Moline Review-Dispatch.

In 1897, while constructing the Hennepin Canal, the Federal Government sued the city of Moline, referring to the bridge as an obstruction. The Federal Government demanded that the city rebuild the bridge at a higher level so that boats could pass underneath. The city said it could not comply because they did not have the money to rebuild the bridge.

The city attorney traveled to Chicago and had a federal judge pause the daily fines against the city for non-compliance, and then traveled to Washington D.C. to lobby Congress to fund the reconstruction themselves.

In April of 1898 the Federal Government settled the case and agreed to pay $25,000 to the city for reconstruction of the bridge to allow boat traffic.

By April 1900, this bridge was finished construction for the cost of approximately $30,000. The bridge no longer charged tolls, and was owned by the city until 1921, when the state took possession.

The postcard here shows the bridge the Federal Government paid to have rebuilt, soon after construction. This bridge was the fourth time the bridge was built, and would not be the last.

05/14/2026

Then & Now: The Moline Opera House / Moline Theater

Charles H Deere, son of John Deere and president of Deere & Co, offered to donate a site on 3rd Avenue (Now River Drive) for a new Moline Opera House. Construction was finished in December of 1905.

To help recoup cost of initial construction, the opening night was a large gala where tickets were $5 each. In today's money that would be approximately $180.

The opera house had two balconies and sat 1400 people.

By 1906 motion pictures were worked into the schedule as many as two times per week. The theater began to work burlesque, live sports, and public speeches as it had financial struggles during World War 1.

The first "super-duper movie," "Birth of a Nation" was presented here about 1915 to the accompaniment of a full orchestra.

By 1918 the theater had positioned itself as the city's most prestigious motion picture house, but that all ended when an burning coal slack, thought to have been on fire for more than a week, caused a fire that burned down the back part of the building.

A few weeks later a second fire threatened to take out what remained of the building, but it was put out before it caused any further damage.

The loss amounted to $25,000, and despite initial interest in rebuilding the theater it never happened. There was interest in converting the building into a rollerstake rink, and then eventually the rear section was used for automotive repair.

The front section was converted to residential and commercial. At least one of the building was closed for a year due to a federal liquor injection. A police sting found an illegal alcohol operation during prohibition.

The remainder of the building was razed in 1960.

Today the River Station building occupies a part of where the Moline Opera House once was.

05/11/2026

Then & Now: the Ben Butterworth Parkway

ETA: A resident let me know I had the incorrect placement for the "after" photo. I was off by a few blocks! I updated the post to be accurate.

Happy Bike to Work Week! It only makes sense to showcase a postcard of our iconic riverfront trail along the Mississippi River.

Before this stretch of riverfront became one of Moline’s most scenic parks, it was a working landscape of industry, rail lines, and river traffic. Like much of the Mississippi shoreline, the area was built for business and not for walking, biking, or relaxing.

That began to change in the 1970s, when Moline started transforming its riverfront into public space. Over the next couple of decades, a continuous trail and parkway took shape, eventually becoming part of the Great River Trail we enjoy today.

Dedicated to Ben Butterworth, in recognition of his services on the Park and Recreation Board from April 1941 until December 1969 and President of this board from 1953 to 1969.

The parkway reflects a broader shift in how cities like Moline reconnected with their rivers, turning industrial ground into a place for community, recreation, and some of the best views in the Quad Cities.

Today, it’s hard to imagine this riverfront any other way.

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Moline, IL
61265

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+13098635428

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