• Rock Island Preservation Commission
  
• Rock Island Planning & Redevelopment Division
  

Many of these publications are available at the kiosk near the main circulation desk of the Rock Island Public Library, 401 19th Street, and at Rock Island City Hall, Planning & Redevelopment Division, 1528 3rd Avenue.

These tours and publications have been divided into five main categories for your convenience.

Web and Audio Tours Architectural and Historical Tour Publications History and Research

Historic Landscaping Neighborhood Plans

Please click on a topic heading below to find a list of publications, details about each and .PDF or .mp3 links, when available.

WEB AND AUDIO TOURS

Historic architecture patrons in Rock Island now have the ability to download .mp3 audio files individually by building or in collections pertaining to specific architecture or history. The web and audio tours are organized geographically.

ARCHITECTURAL AND HISTORICAL TOUR PUBLICATIONS

All of the architectural and historical tour brochures were produced with funding made available from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and the U.S. Department of the Interior through the Certified Local Government Program. Many of the brochures were inspired by “Tour Yesterday” events sponsored by the Rock Island Preservation Society. Most of these tours are geographically based.

HISTORY, RESEARCH AND DESIGN GUIDELINES

The Rock Island Preservation Commission partners the architectural tours with solid historical documentation. The Commission, together with the City, has sponsored historical studies and surveys that reveal much about Rock Island’s development as a community. In addition, publications with a local emphasis have been created that assist individuals in their own hunt for history. You will also find the design guideline booklets useful tools for rehabilitation and new construction in historic neighborhoods.

HISTORIC LANDSCAPING AND BRICK STREETS

Just as the Preservation Commission seeks to educate Rock Island citizens on history and architecture, there has been an increasing desire to expand that interest to the landscapes around us. Folks have restored their historic homes, and attention inevitably turns to the yard. Victorians were known for excess in gardening as well as architecture, and each period of architecture usually had a certain look and feel in the landscaping around it. These publications educate for a landscape sensibility.

NEIGHBORHOOD PLANS

In the 1990s, Rock Island embarked on an aggressive neighborhood planning program that looked at neighborhoods in a comprehensive fashion, with considerable citizen input. Included in each of the neighborhood plans are sections that touch on the history and development of the neighborhood. Architecture is also usually discussed. Depending upon priorities established by residents, the level of detail about these items varies, but don’t overlook these documents if you want to learn more about the history of a specific neighborhood.