Renovation work complete at Rock Island City Hall

Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms loves everything about the renovated Rock Island City Hall building at 1528 Third Ave. He loves the old ceilings and floors that have been uncovered and restored after being hidden for decades. He also loves the new features, such as a new audio and video system in the city council […]

Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms loves everything about the renovated Rock Island City Hall building at 1528 Third Ave. He loves the old ceilings and floors that have been uncovered and restored after being hidden for decades. He also loves the new features, such as a new audio and video system in the city council chambers, and a hidden door that leads to a new conference room.

1 of 8

“We updated this building, but also preserved the history. … This work is about helping the citizens. We want to encourage people to get involved and give their opinions,” Mr. Thoms said Monday, Dec. 9, during a rededication ceremony to showcase the updates. That ceremony, which attracted more than 75 people, was held to unveil the updated city hall after a $2.25 million renovation project completed by Rock Island-based Valley Construction. The ceremony included a public open house and unveiling of a building plaque to honor the rededication. (This was the first major renovation of city hall since its construction in 1940, according to city officials.) The project included updated security, asbestos abatement and the redesign of council chambers with new seating and furniture, light fixtures, carpeting, audio/visual equipment and the addition of a conference room; redesign of the entry and customer service counter in the community and economic development departments; and redesign of the first-floor administration area to allow for better flow, efficiency and customer service. Much of that work got started with a  “First Swing of the Hammers and Wall Breaking” ceremony held last March. The project was also done while preserving the integrity of the original art deco architectural style of the building. “A lot of time, work and effort went into maintaining historic details, while providing comfort and efficiency,” Mr. Thoms said in a news release before Monday’s event. “Maintaining public facilities is important and as the cornerstone of Rock Island, city hall represents its citizens.” Many of the renovations centered on improvements made to the council chambers on the third floor. Those improvements included adding a new conference room behind the council chambers. That room has a standard entry door to the side of the chamber. It also has a hidden door behind a wall panel that is located directly behind the mayor’s seat on the front of the room. The new conference room can be used for closed-session meetings and other gatherings. It is also decorated with framed old photos of city hall. More of those classic photos of the city hall building will likely start appearing on walls around city hall in the coming weeks.  Mr. Thoms said that he plans to meet with officials at Augustana College and the Figge Art Museum in the coming days because those institutions have many more old photos of city hall. The mayor said he wants to create a rotating photo program where many of those old photos will be displayed at city hall. But many of the changes in the council chambers centered on directly serving members of the public who attend council meetings. Those changes include new seating and an audio and video system that is used during meetings. “The seating was uncomfortable. People had a hard time hearing in this room. … The technology in here was getting old,” he added. The renovation project also preserved many parts of the building’s history. An example of that can be seen in the council chamber’s ceiling. Mr. Thoms said the improvement plans called for replacing the drop ceiling in the room with a new drop ceiling. However, after the old drop ceiling was removed, workers discovered the original ceiling was in place and in good condition. “Once we exposed the original ceiling, we said ‘Boy, we have to keep that,’” he added. Many people attending Monday's rededication ceremony said they liked all the new renovations and pieces of the past that have been kept in city hall. One of those people attending was former longtime Rock Island Mayor Mark Schwiebert. After looking over the updated council chambers, he called the scene “familiar and somewhat unfamiliar.” He praised the work, calling it a wonderful example of preserving the city’s proud history while also looking to the future by adding needed technological updates. “This was a job well done,” Mr. Schwiebert added. Here are some of the details on the renovation project:

• The $2.25 million project included $1.8 million in unrestricted American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding; $225,000 in restricted ARPA funds; and $250,000 from the city’s general fund.
• The project costs included: $1.6 million for construction; $250,000 for audio and visual equipment; $200,000 for furniture and fixtures; $69,000 in contingency costs; $68,000 for design services; and $47,000 for asbestos abatement.
• Valley Construction, Rock Island, served as the construction manager and Streamline Architects, East Moline, designed the project.
• While most of the renovation work took place in and around the third floor council chambers, there was also work done on the first and second floors. On the second floor, for instance, a larger waiting area was created and the original terrazzo tile floors were uncovered. The first floor work includes an updated reception area. Andrew Dasso, owner of Streamline Architects, the designer of the renovation project, said he especially liked that updated reception area because it helps better welcome members of the public to city hall.  “Coming to this building, year after year, you always came in and wondered where to go.” The new reception area helps guide people to their destinations within the building, he said. 
• The renovation project started in October 2022 when the council approved the overall ARPA funding plan that included the city hall improvement project.