RiverCenter/Adler Theatre 5.49

RiverCenter/Adler Theatre is a convention center located in downtown Davenport, Iowa. It is made up of three interconnected buildings sited on the north and south sides of East Third Street. The Adler Theatre is connected to the original section of the convention center on the north side of the complex.HistoryPlanning for the RiverCenter began in the late 1970s. The working name for the facility was the “Community Activity Center," also known as “Superblock.” The facility was built in the early 1980s and opened in 1983. It was designed in a modern, open industrial look. The original building connected the Adler Theatre on the west and the Blackhawk Hotel on the east. Together they formed a convention and entertainment complex for the Quad City area. The facility offered 20500sqft of space in a large hall and six breakout rooms. An atrium was built over what was Perry Street.Minimalist artist Sol LeWitt was commissioned to provide artwork for the RiverCenter. He created Tower 1984 and two wall drawings. They were Davenport's first public art project. The tower, which was designed for a plaza that was never built, was moved to the plaza in front of the Figge Art Museum in October 2004 and one of the wall drawings was moved to the museum at a later date.A feasibility study was conducted and it was determined that the RiverCenter could be expanded. In the fall of 1993 the expansion opened on the south side of East Third Street, across the street from the Blackhawk Hotel. It was also designed in a modern industrial look and added 49000sqft to the facility. A second atrium covered Perry Street, another large hall, four break out rooms and an executive board room were added. A skywalk above East Third Street connected the two sections of the facility. Kaiserslautern Square Park, named for one of Davenport’s sister cities, was built to the west of the new building. The expansion of the RiverCenter was paid for in part by contributions from Riverboat Gambling, which came to the area in 1991. The Perry Park Green Space was completed on the south side of the building along East Second Street in 2002