A museum for a local legendary jazz musician will be created in the Quad Cities. Today, the Bix Beiderbecke Museum and World Archives group announced their plans for the first-ever Bix Museum, located at the River Music Experience in Davenport.
President of the museum, Howard Braren, says the 15,000 square foot Bix Museum will have a classroom for students, as well as the musician's last piano and archived items, such as letters Bix wrote and received.
BixBeiderbecke was born in Davenport and became a world-renowned jazz musician in the 1920s. Braren says Bix is still influential today, which is why he wants to preserve and exhibit the musician's life and career.
The museum will be on the lower floor of the River Music Experience building located in downtown Davenport, and construction plans to be completed in mid-2017.
The Bix Beiderbecke Museum and World Archives group has raised $200,000 so far. It hopes to raise $625,000 with an additional $250,000 endowment.