Former Tappa’s Steakhouse to become community center

An organization that helps people with mental health issues will soon open a community center in a building that once housed an iconic Quad Cities restaurant. The nonprofit organization For The Love of Mental Health (FTLOMH) has been gifted the vacant business building at 1620 Rockingham Road, Davenport. It once was home to Tappa’s Steakhouse, […]

An organization that helps people with mental health issues will soon open a community center in a building that once housed an iconic Quad Cities restaurant. The nonprofit organization For The Love of Mental Health (FTLOMH) has been gifted the vacant business building at 1620 Rockingham Road, Davenport. It once was home to Tappa’s Steakhouse, a well-known restaurant that was in business for 40 years before its owners, Cliff and Jan Tappa, retired and closed the business in February 2023.

Jan Tappa announced the building donation on the Tappa’s business Facebook page Monday morning, July 8, calling FTLOMH a “wonderful organization.” She added that she hopes the community will support the group. Later on Monday, Ms. Tappa told the QCBJ that she had been looking to sell the former restaurant building for about a year and a half with no luck. Recently, she was contacted by  Heather Wilson-Hallmann, founder of the FTLOMH group, who discussed the group’s desire to open a new community center that would be used to help people facing mental health issues, such as depression.  One of the organization’s top goals is to create a safe space where people can support one another through peer-to-peer counseling. “We connect individuals to available resources … Through generous funding, we can offer free mental health services and support within our startup communities; and eventually become an asset to the mental health communities abroad,” according to the group’s website.  Ms. Tappa said she quickly realized her building could become a great community center for the group and decided to make the donation. That deal to donate the former restaurant was finalized on Monday. “What a beautiful thing. This is just a beautiful story. … What a God moment. He was totally in charge of this,” she said. The ongoing story of the former restaurant building was moving forward Monday afternoon. Ms. Wilson-Hallmann and Tonya Cope, vice president of  FTLOMH, were busy cleaning up the building and getting it ready. Also, as of Monday, there was an FTLOMH logo sign in the front window of the building. The group’s leaders are currently looking for volunteers to help them with the building transformation. Those interested in helping can call (563) 400-1683 or go here.  The Tappa’s Steakhouse sign that was once on the exterior of the building has been removed. However, the interior still looks like a restaurant with benches, tables, chairs and a bar area. Also, there are still glasses near the bar, kitchen equipment and signs from the former Tappa’s Steakhouse days. One of the signs still in the building on Monday commemorates the restaurant’s 40 years in business. But Ms. Wilson-Hallmann said that will soon change. She hopes that by early August the building will be transformed into a center that will host counseling sessions and meetings, game nights,  painting activities, and a back-to-school clothing drive set for Aug. 11. (The goal is to have the new community center open by that clothing drive.) “I happened to be looking on Facebook and I saw this building for sale. I said ‘Wow, that would be something that we would want,’” she added. The FTLOMH currently has space on the second floor above the Nick Tarpein’s Martial Arts center at 235 W. 35th St., Davenport. However, she said the group has been looking for a more accessible space where clients don’t have to deal with stairs. Also, an added bonus of the move will be giving new purpose to a vacant building on the west end of Davenport. “It’s all part of putting new life in this building,” she added.