Maybe it’s a building from scratch or, it’s a thoughtful reuse of a space. Whatever the project may be, it always starts with you, and we take it from there.
These are the stories of how we’re Building From Here.
The Rust Belt
We’re kicking off this series with one of our favorite projects to date, The Rust Belt; an adaptive reuse of a space.
Architecture isn’t just about building new structures, it’s also about giving older ones a new purpose. That’s the essence of adaptive reuse—respecting the history of a space and maintaining its integrity while adjusting for the needs of its next venture.
The Moline-Knight Automobile building, now known as the Rust Belt was once a skinny and long stretched building that had sat vacant for more than 10 years.
After sitting vacant and taking up space for 10+ years, the owners considered tearing the building down, that was until our Principal Architect, Andrew saw the vision. The owners teamed up with Streamline to reinvent the space into a purposeful place that is locally aligned. We immediately go to work and carefully preserved what we could all while highlighting the originality of the building.
Now, more than one Century later, the former automobile manufacturing plant has been injected with new life and visions. The Rust Belt is now one of the newest addition to unique venues in the Quad Cities. It can accommodate approximately 4,000 people and provides the opportunity for musicians, comedians, and other artists to entertain audiences in the Quad Cities region.
The Rust Belt Area Businesses
The once run-down building is now filled with booming businesses such as a restaurant (Jennie’s Boxcar), brewery (Midwest Ale Works), coffee house (Iron + Grain Coffee House), a hair salon (Revival Mane), a photography studio (JW Photography), a CrossFit gym (RATH Fitness), a retail store (Iron + Grain Boutiques and an architecture firm (Streamline Architects.
Streamline Architects Quad Cities Studio
Iron + Grain Coffee House East Moline
Revival Mane Hair Salon
Jennie’s Boxcar
JW Photography
RATH Fitness
Midwest Ale Works
The Rust Belt, Concert Venue
Iron + Grain Boutiques
The addition of The Rust Belt has sparked a movement in East Moline and has reignited the transformation of this development as well as the surrounding approximately 200-acre development.
Most recently, East Moline was awarded nearly $24 Million to connect the downtown, The Bend, and The Rust Belt. This funding will be used to complete streets and streetscaping of 15th Avenue from 6th to 13th Streets, 12th Avenue from 1st to 7th Streets, and 7th Street from 15th to 12th avenues. A new road and streetscape will also be extended from 3rd street along Bend Boulevard to 6th Avenue.