DAVENPORT, IA - Although the outside of the old Salvation Army building on Davenport's West River Drive looks much as it has for years, big changes are under way inside. MetroPlains Development of St. Paul, Minn., began work in January on an $8 million plan to convert the four-story building into 42 warehouse/loft-style apartments, and the company hosted a "walk-through" Monday for elected officials, those funding the project, city staff and the news media. The project, called RiverWalk Lofts, is expected to be ready for occupancy by Thanksgiving. It is the latest in a series of historic rehabilitation efforts that have turned old commercial spaces into new downtown living opportunities in Davenport and throughout the Quad-Cities.
Water dripped from the concrete ceilings and dusty grime covered the metal stair-step railings between floors, but shiny metal framing showed where various apartments are taking shape amidst the huge concrete columns that hold up the floors. Those columns as well as brick walls, currently spray-painted with the word "stay" in bright orange, will be incorporated into the finished units. Randy Schold of MetroPlains explained that all existing windows will be replaced by more attractive designs mimicking those that originally were used in 1919, and the exterior will be painted different colors, possibly a combination of sand and dark green.
Even on a gloomy, overcast day, a lot of light poured into the building, and "it doesn't matter what side you're on, the views are terrific," Schold said. The building sits directly north of the Freight House and has views of the Mississippi River, the Modern Woodmen Park baseball stadium, the Centennial Bridge and the downtown. "Wow, this is going to be wonderful," said Betsy Brandsgard, executive vice president of DavenportOne. "People are going to go crazy to get here."
The one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments will be available to low- and moderate-income households earning $20,000 to $40,000 per year. Rents will range from $450 to $900 per month. Financing for the work has come from a mix of sources, including: low-income tax credits from the Iowa Finance Authority, the sale of which will generate $5 million in equity; federal historic tax credits that will generate $1.4 million; a $1.2 million mortgage from Greystone Commercial; $100,000 from a sales tax rebate; and $174,000 in HOME (federal Housing and Urban Development) funds from the City of Davenport, MetroPlains has said. A requirement for receiving the tax credits is that all of the apartments be income-restricted.
About 40 percent of the properties MetroPlains has developed over the past 20 years involved rehabilitating historic buildings into housing, and the old Salvation Army building is part of that tradition. It was built in 1919 for the Linograph Co., a manufacturer of typesetting machines, and was designed by the firm of Clausen & Kruse, which was founded by Frederick Clausen, a German immigrant, according to MetroPlains.
The company will request that the building be listed on the National Register of Historic Places on the basis of its association with the history of Davenport industry, specifically the invention and manufacture of the Linograph. Linograph occupied the building through 1944. From then through the mid-1950s, it was home to the Engelhart Manufacturing Co. In 1954, it was purchased by the Salvation Army, which used the building for various purposes until it was sold to MetroPlains in July 2007.
Source: QCtimes.com