A downtown Davenport building is now included on a prestigious list. The Peterson Paper building at 301 East Second Street has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.
City Planner, Ryan Rusnak, says four years ago it was vacant and some local investors fixed it up and turned it into 23 apartments. Being included on the National Register will help them pay for rehabilitation projects because it makes the building eligible for state and federal tax credits.
"You know, you had a building that was vacant for many years. So, listing on the National Register, and really many properties throughout the downtown, has allowed these buildings to be rehabilitated just because of how much money it costs to rehab them."
Rusnak says it was one of Davenport's first fireproof buildings, using poured concrete. Originally, it was owned by the Davenport Bag & Paper Company and became the Peterson Paper Company in 1940 through 1992.
Just across Pershing Avenue is the John Kelly Company Wholesale Groceries Building, now known as the Bucktown Center for the Arts, which recently became a local landmark and may soon qualify for the National Register of Historic Places.
