
BROADWAY HISTORIC DISTRICT
National Register of Historic Places
Rock Island, Illinois​
LOCAL LANDMARKS

A Rock Island Landmark is a property or structure designated by the Preservation Commission as worthy of rehabilitation, restoration and preservation because of its historic and/or architectural significance to the City of Rock Island. An entire neighborhood can also be designated through a similar procedure to become a “Local Historic District,” as is the case with the Highland Park Local Historic District (up the hill from Broadway). Local Landmarks foster civic pride, improve property values, encourage rehabilitation of historic buildings, and support heritage tourism. The primary benefit of a Local Landmark designation is that it helps to control the aesthetics of a neighborhood through the requirement of a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Preservation Commission for any changes to the exterior of the home. While this may seem like a cumbersome requirement, having a critical mass of homes Landmarked helps to prevent unwanted and historically inappropriate changes to a neighborhood. A statistical study of home values in Michigan demonstrated that property values are higher in local historic districts than in surrounding neighborhoods. While the Broadway Historic District is not a Local Historic District, in the early days of neighborhood revitalization Local Historic District status was pursued, and many individual properties are currently landmarked. For more information on the Local Landmark properties in Broadway, please visit our Walking Tours page. To learn how you can landmark your home or property, please visit "How to Become a Landmark" at rigov.org.