What was once a blighted home on 15th Street in Davenport has been given a total makeover and is ready for its new owner. Rejuvenate Housing Inc. is a Davenport-based nonprofit that takes on redeveloping homes in older communities to create new homeownership opportunities.
Tuesday afternoon an open house was held at its newly completed project at 527 W. 15th Street. The organization was started by Don Decker, who also was a leader of Rejuvenate Davenport.
That program gathered business and community leaders to rid downtown Davenport of some 55 buildings between 1985 and 1990 — buying up blighted buildings, having them demolished and redeveloped, and laying the groundwork for downtown's rebirth. Rejuvenate Housing, Inc., a branch of Rejuvenate, became an official nonprofit in 2021.
Decker The home at 527 W. 15th Street in Davenport has been remodeled by Rejuvenate Housing, Inc. and is ready for its new home owner.
Rejuvenate bought the 124-year old duplex on 15th Street last July and began working on renovations in December. The home has been converted back to a single-family dwelling, complete with four bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms, upstairs laundry, new HVAC/heat, modern appliances and everything else the home needed to feel brand new. "Our mission is to improve neighborhoods and create home ownership," said Rejuvenate President Gwen Tombergs.
Renovation costs were covered by multiple grants, including the city's program, designed specifically for rehabbing vacant an.