Is anyone there? Does anyone care? Part II
Pondering the fate of two historic Village of East Davenport buildings
Davenport’s most notorious slumlord, Andrew Wold, is justifiably vilified - and a defendant in mutlipe lawsuits - due to his alleged culpability in the deadly downtown apartment building collapse that killed three and left dozens homeless on May 28, 2023.
While the deaths coupled with the City of Davenport’s lack of proactive pre-disaster enforcement of Wold’s myriad building code violations deservedly draw the most headlines, the slumlord’s negligent ownership of dozens of other historic properties across the city also deserve scrutiny. According to this January 2023 Quad City Times story, Wold’s 26 Davenport properties - all of which were built prior to 1945 - received 230 city violations between Aug. 1, 2022, and Aug. 28 - by far the most by a single owner over that time period.
Today I want to focus on two in the Village of East Davenport that were evacuated and ordered to close in June 2023, less than a month after the fatal downtown collapse. 1105 Christie St. and 2200 E. 11th St. both date to the mid 19th century and are in the heart of the historic village that remains one of the most unique and thriving commercial districts in the entire quad cities.
Is anyone there? Does anyone care?
The building fronting 11th Street housed a jewelery store. When cracks began appearing in walls and a rain storm resulted in an inundated basement, the jewelery store owner reported the problems to the city’s building department. Inspectors wrote up 27 code violations in March 2023. The attached building on Christie Street, home to the popular soul food restaurant Bayside Bistro, was already vacant by summer of 2023, after Wold failed to address concerns including bulging floors, electrical issues and Wold’s refusal to pay for trash removal at the property.
Bayside co-owner LaTisha Howard said she and husband Darryl - who filed a lawsuit against Wold in 2022 - made the difficult decision to relocate their busineess across the river to Rock Island. Recently, she told me business was slower in the new location but the deteriorating building, irresponsible landlord and toothless city enforcment made the situation in Davenport intolerable.
In the 10-plus months since Davenport abruptly shuttered the two historic commercial spaces, nothing has been said about their future. Will Wold (or whoever eventually owns the properties if they are sold) be forced to bring them up to code? Will they be condemned and razed like 324 Main Street was? And if they are demolished, what will replace them and will it be architecturally compatible with the historic neighborhood?
Is anyone there? Does anyone care?
In a community like the Quad Cities, thriving commercial neighborhoods can be difficult to maintain. One need only look at The District in Rock Island or Uptown Moline to see how lack of investment and creeping blight can result in empty storefronts and declining tax revenue.
For decades, the Village of East Davenport has remained economically robust and one of the most pedestrian friendly shopping and entertainment districts in the metro area. Now, it has two empty, deteriorating eyesores in its heart.
Davenport leaders owe their constituents transparency on the future of these and other vacated Wold properties across the city. A plan for restoring or replacing the historic structures at 11th and Christies streets needs to be developed and shared with the public.
That is, if they care.
I’m honored to be a member of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. Please support our work by sharing and subscribing to the authors below, and consider a paid subscription if you are able. We are honored that the Iowa Capital Dispatch republishes some of our columns. Please consider a donation to that excellent source of news and information. Paid subscribers to any column are invited to attend our Zoom “Office Lounge” on the last Friday of the month. Here we are:
Davenport can do better but it would seem more expedient to simply have a revolving door of special interests pushing the agenda, disconnected or feckless alderman, and musical chairs with city managers.
Enlightening. Thank you.