After months and months of building design and underground infrastructure work, the new Rock Island federal building now is showing signs of progress as its steel structure rises out of the ground. The building, which will house – among other federal agencies – the U.S. District Court, is being developed by Rock Island Investors Inc., […]
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After months and months of building design and underground infrastructure work, the new Rock Island federal building now is showing signs of progress as its steel structure rises out of the ground.
The building, which will house – among other federal agencies – the U.S. District Court, is being developed by Rock Island Investors Inc., a special purpose entity of Davenport-based Russell and KATCO Resources Inc. The project’s architect is Shive-Hattery, Bettendorf.
Russell Development Manager Amanda Wood said steel “has been going up quickly” on what will be a state-of-the-art federal facility.
“It’s hard (to realize the progress) because there’s a lot of underground work and preparation going on before we could start erecting steel. Until people see something in the air, they don’t think there’s something going on,” said Ms. Wood, who also is acting as the project’s manager.
Design work began a year ago in conjunction with the Government Services Administration (GSA). Among the federal tenants slated to move into the facility are: the U.S. District Court and Bankruptcy Court, Federal Public Defender, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Attorney, U.S. Probation and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“It’s been an honor to work with this group, they are a great group (made up of ) a lot of local members of the community,” said Ms. Wood, who serves as liaison between the project team, tenants, GSA and the city. “It’s a fantastic project to be part of – especially being from Rock Island myself.”
She added that the partners, city officials and project team, which includes Russell’s Virtual Design Construction (VDC) team, recently gathered on site for a private ceremony. “The event was about two things. One, was to celebrate the end of design … and also to reveal the rendering,” she told the QCBJ. “We’ve been in a design period since last fall and obviously, it’s a very complex, long process.”
Not only are the developers working with multiple federal tenants but she added “We’re working with agencies that require the highest level of security and those are complex issues. It’s a cool project when you get into the inner workings of spaces like the Marshals.”
“If you’ve been at Russell two years or 20 years, everybody on the project team has learned a ton,” Ms. Wood.
Among some of the exterior design features are:
Led by Shive Hattery, the exterior design was guided by input from the U.S. District Court, which will occupy the largest share of the building. The design provides a setting that reflects the significance of the proceedings taking place there.
The color and design provide reference to the neo-classical symmetry, which was the court’s desire and also complements the other historic buildings in downtown.
The building facade will be a combination of glass and fiber cement panels in neutral/warm/bronze tones.
With the building’s shell progressing, she added that the project now has entered into a pricing period. “The exterior (cost) is more decided, so now we’re pricing the interior part of the project.”
While no final cost estimate is available, Russell previously estimated the cost at between $13 million and $20 million. THE GSA has estimated the new building will have a minimum of 42 employees and service 250 visitors a day.
The joint venture – between Russell and KATCO, a Kansas corporation with headquarters in Rock Island owned by Mike Fishman and Jeff Erinberg – to build a new federal building began in 2018 when the firms participated in the GSA search and solicitation process.
Russell is no stranger to working with the GSA, but Ms. Wood said this marks its first federal courthouse construction project. It previously partnered with KATCO on new Social Security Administration and National Weather Service facilities in Davenport.
The federal building is the anchor to several multi-million dollar projects now under construction in downtown Rock Island, according to Liz Murray Tallman, vice president, development services for the Development Association of Rock Island (DARI).
Just a block away, construction is well underway on a new $14 million YWCA headquarters. Work was completed on the former U.S. Bank building last year by American Bank, which converted the building into its new branch. In addition, the city has plans for an Arts Alley and streetscaping plan, funded by a $7 million state grant. It also plans to demolish the old city parking ramp near Rock Island City Hall.
Ms. Murray Tallman estimated more than $40 million in new investment is headed to the central business core. Other projects include the renovation of the Circa ‘21 Speakeasy, which was scheduled to hold a grand opening on Thursday, Oct. 13, to unveil its new facelift.
The federal building is being constructed on the site of the former Bituminous Insurance (BITCO) building, a company with which Russell is very familiar. In 2014, the Davenport-based construction/development company was hired to design and develop a new national headquarters for BITCO along the Interstate 74 corridor in Davenport.
When completed sometime in 2023, the new federal facility will allow the federal court to return to downtown Rock Island after a hazardous mold situation in its former location forced it to relocate to the federal courthouse in Davenport.
The various investments are spurring new attention in the downtown, said Tarah Sipes, the City of Rock Island’s economic development manager. “There’s good energy. I’ve had more diverse type of inquiries from people interested in what’s going on and what opportunities exist.”
Stacey McIntosh, DARI’s program manager, added that inquiries also have picked up among entrepreneurs interested in opening their business in downtown. “They are people who might have a business in their home now … and they’re asking ‘Do you think now is a good time to be in downtown?’” she said. Her response is “Get into downtown Rock Island now. Get into Rock Island while you can.”
