Moline Coal Valley School Board requesting state historic designation for Wharton Field House
Reported byWVIK, Quad Cities NPR
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The Moline Coal Valley School Board has asked the state of Illinois to name Wharton Field House a historic landmark. At its regular Monday meeting, the board voted unanimously to approve the application for the arena, which sits near Avenue of the Cities and 16th Street.
The case rests on the building's basketball history. A local researcher and recording studio co-owner who spoke in favor said that in October 1949 the Tri-City Blackhawks beat the Denver Nuggets before 3,450 fans, in a game he described as the only one played that night under the new National Basketball Association name. He also said another team toured the building in 1946 and called it an ideal basketball court. According to the article, a Moline resident suggested the Blackhawks name, and the team is now the Atlanta Hawks.
Board members thanked the researcher for his work. One member, Geoff Manis, said the designation could lead to future economic partnerships with the league. The district is paying a $500 application fee. If the application is accepted, it will spend another $5,000 on a commemorative plaque for the field house, which was built in 1928. The researcher said he hopes the state acts before several anniversaries later this decade. The article does not say when the state will decide.
Why it matters
The application commits district money to a historic recognition effort, which may interest taxpayers and board watchers. It also shows how a school district is trying to draw on its local sports heritage, with possible partnership benefits that one board member described but that the article does not confirm.
- Board vote
- Property taxes
- Awards and recognition
Written with AI from the publisher's article and may contain errors. The original reporting is the authoritative source.
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- How should a school district weigh spending on historic recognition for a facility against other uses of district funds?
- What kinds of partnerships or community benefits would residents want to see come from a historic designation of a school-owned building?
- How can the district involve students and residents in preserving and sharing the history of a local landmark?
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