Leedy Building gets new life as banquet center

Priyanka Saini remembers a time when the historic Leedy Building in downtown Moline looked horrible. In fact, she remembers the day it looked the worst – Sept. 10, 2019. Her family bought the building in 2018, spent a lot of money, time and tears renovating the structure and then disaster hit. A fire heavily damaged […]

Priyanka Saini remembers a time when the historic Leedy Building in downtown Moline looked horrible. In fact, she remembers the day it looked the worst – Sept. 10, 2019. Her family bought the building in 2018, spent a lot of money, time and tears renovating the structure and then disaster hit. A fire heavily damaged much of the interior, destroying all that renovation work on that September night. Ms. Saini said fire hit all three floors of the building just as renovations were getting close to complete. The fire was so big, she said that fire departments from surrounding communities were called in to battle the blaze, and 10,000 gallons of water were used to put out the fire. “I was called at 3 a.m. about the fire. … It looked like a haunted house in here. It was bad,” she recalled while giving the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal a recent tour of the historic building.

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Today, thanks to a lot of hard work, the fire damage has been fixed and the renovation work is almost complete at the Leedy Building, located at 1530 5th Ave. There have been recent days when Saini family members have worked until the early morning hours to get renovation projects complete. The three-story building is ready for a new life and public showing and is ready to create new memories. The second and third floors of the structure will become the new  Moline Banquet and Conference Center, and plan to host many big and small social and business gatherings. A renovated center will host a public soft opening from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 17. A few days ago, Ms. Saini gave the QCBJ a tour of the building just as  almost all renovation projects were complete. Workers still need to do some painting, hang mirrors in the bathrooms, install a fridge in the bar area, and a few other small jobs. When visitors get to look over parts of the building Saturday, she hopes the updated building will bring back some great memories. Many locals will remember the building as a historic cornerstone of the community – the home of the Moline Club as well as the Fannie May candy store on the ground floor. “This building has history. … Everybody I talked to wants to come back here,” Ms. Saini said. Part of that latest renovation has been devoted to bringing back some of that grand history and restoring many of the old features on the second and third floors. For instance, one of Ms. Saini’s brothers recently spent three days installing a large, grand chandelier on the third floor. The building is also an important part of Moline’s history and business district, said officials. “The Leedy Building has historical significance, not only because of its age, but also because of the people associated with its origins.  … Like the Reliance Building near it, the Leedy Building was among the first structures in Moline built with fire-proof construction. The building was also home to the Moline Commercial Club, a men’s organization founded in 1895 by Charles Deere, son of John Deere, which operated like chambers of commerce of today,” said Moline Centre Program Manager Kirk Marske. While Ms. Saini loves the history of the building,  she also hopes the building will be used to create new memories as an event and banquet center. “I hope people can envision having a great celebration here,” said Ms. Saini. She hopes people will soon get a look at the renovated building and book their celebrations, social gatherings, meetings and other events in the building. She also has this message for potential customers: The price will be “very reasonable.” “I want to work with you. Give me a call,” she added. Here’s a look at the Leedy Building:

• History: The three-story Leedy Building was built in 1912 for the Moline Commercial Club, a men's organization founded in 1895 by Charles Deere, the son of John Deere. The building served as the YWCA from 1927-1978, and Fannie May Candies was a longtime fixture in the corner street-level space. Sundeen Clothing Co. was also an original tenant of the building.
• Features: The old Moline Club's ballroom (third floor) still features the musician's balcony, and the second floor event area still has the large oak fireplace and historic wood trim. The Moline Club has been a premier destination for business professionals, social gatherings and many memorable events.  In addition to the areas available for event rentals on the second and third floors, the Leedy Building also has street-level space available for lease. That first floor will have four units available for retail space. Ms. Saini said there are plans to convert the corner shop on the first floor (the space that once housed the Fannie May Candies shop) into a bubble tea/drink shop.
• Address: 1530 Fifth Ave., Moline, located across the street from the Heritage Place building.
• Owners: The building is owned by Ms. Saini’s father, Ved Pal, and her mother, Babli Saini. Her brother, Kuldeep Saini, is the general contractor for the renovation project. Her other brother, Pardeep Saini, also is involved in the renovation project.
• Size: Each floor has about 7,000 square feet.
• For more information: Contact Priyanka Saini at (309) 506-1230.