[2] The city of Moline traces its beginnings to the arrival of David B. Sears from Cairo, Illinois in 1836.

[4] Moline's downtown commercial district initially developed along Third Avenue between Fifteenth and Eighteenth Streets.

[4] By 1895 there were 75 trains a day on the tracks and it made it difficult for residents to reach the main business district.

Initially, they chose locations along 15th Street, which had a trolley line that climbed the hill to the city's newer residential districts.

In the 1910s several large commercial buildings were built along Fifth Avenue, which became the main artery in the downtown business district.

Department stores, first-floor specialty shops, theaters, hotels, restaurants, and bars rounded out the businesses.

Institutional structures such as the Carnegie Library (1904), City Hall (1914), Elks Club (1924), and the Unitarian Church (1928) were also built in the downtown business district.

[2] The downtown historic district continued to be the main business and cultural area for the city into the mid 20th century.