© 2024 WVIK
Listen at 90.3 FM and 98.3 FM in the Quad Cities, 95.9 FM in Dubuque, or on the WVIK app!
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Community

A Look Inside Davenport's Original Skyscraper Turned Luxury Hotel

The old Putnam building in downtown Davenport has been transformed into a modern luxury hotel that owners hope will attract artists from around the world.

The 78-room hotel, called The Current, is now open for business on Main Street, and features artwork from over 500 Midwest artists. 

Here's a look inside the $33 million dollar project.

teamwork.mp3
"This is truly a public-private partnership. City Hall helped make this happen, the developers helped make this happen, the banks helped make this happen -- everybody's got a piece of skin in the game here. It's just a great example of what you can do when everyone's on the same team." -Kyle Carter, Executive Director, Downtown Davenport Partnership

blackhawk.mp3
"So the Blackhawk is the older, classy, graceful sister. This one is the younger, hipper, whimsical sister that doesn't take herself as seriously." -Amrit Gill, President, Restoration St. Louis

iowa_art.mp3
"Art tourism, architectural tourism gives a voice to all of the artists from what East Coast and West Coast people derisively call flyover states. We're in flyover states, well those flyover states have artists, too." -Amrit Gill, President, St. Louis Restoration

blue_waves.mp3
"Ah, my favorite piece is the current of the river that's the chandelier in the very front entrance of the hotel, which is my by Hot Glass, which is a non-profit two blocks away that helps veterans and teenagers develop a deeper sense of self-worth and also teaches them collaboration because even a small piece of glass requires help -- you can't do it alone." -Amrit Gill, President, St. Louis Restoration

dogs.mp3
"The dogs, Steve Jones' dogs. Every room has a pet--not necessarily a dog, it could be a horse, it could be anything--but it's whimsical. This is a whimsical hotel, we don't take ourselves seriously. This is all about being able to touch and feel the art and play with it." -Amrit Gill, President, Restoration St. Louis

rooftop.mp3
"The rooftop bar is something that this community has never seen, not with this kind of scale, where you really see the river. It's our number one amenity -- the Mississippi -- we finally have some place where you can truly take in the whole downtown and the river from one location, and that's really exciting to me." -Kyle Carter, Executive Director, Downtown Davenport Partnership

  

Community