City staff says despite efforts to preserve it, the firehouse has been in "blighted" condition for many years and the "responsible" option now is to demolish it.
Elements of the building will be saved, including a sign, bricks, and limestone trim, for some sort of marker. Details will be worked out by the Friends of Douglas Park and the city's Parks and Recreation Department.
In 2017, plans were announced to save the old firehouse and turn it into a museum, focusing on the history of football in Rock Island. Douglas Park hosted the first game in 1920 between teams in the American Professional Football Association, which later became the National Football League.
City staff is recommending hiring Valley Construction for the demolition, at cost of 79,000 dollars.
