What is Broadway?

The Broadway Historic District of Rock Island is a roughly 30-square-block area between 17th and 23rd streets and 7th and 13th avenues.

The tract includes about 550 Victorian-era homes in the architectural styles of Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Italianate and Second Empire. The earliest home was built in 1854.

About 25 years ago, more than half of the homes in the area below the hill had become rentals, some of them owned by absentee landlords who did not always keep them up and some with tenants who were known to deal drugs. The once-elegant residential neighborhood had fallen on hard times.

In 1988, a core group of strong-willed homeowners organized an association to help revitalize the neighborhood. They dubbed both the group and the area Broadway, which was 23rd Streets original name.

The association has spearheaded many projects over the years, including getting the area listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Other efforts are the annual tour of homes, a website (broadwaydistrict.org), the installation of sign toppers to identify the area and neighborhood unveilings in which neighbors gather to remove synthetic siding from homes.

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What is Broadway?