The Bix Museum has been in the lower level at Common Chord since 2017. (photo by Jonathan Turner)
After seven years tucked nearly out of sight in downtown Davenport, the growing Bix Beiderbecke Museum & Archive is raising money for a move across the street.
Located in the lower level of the historic Redstone building (at Second and Main Streets) since 2017, this gem of a museum dedicated to the life and times of Bix Beiderbecke (1903-1931) – a jazz legend and one of Davenport's most famous sons – is working to relocate to 112 West Second Street. The nonprofit is waiting to hear on more grant funding, but has so far raised $70,000 from grants and donation pledges, with plans to raise $50,000 more by February, museum director Nate Kraft said recently.
They have received $25,000 from the Regional Development Authority, and $7,500 from Scott County Regional Authority for the project.
The Museum Board began searching for a new home during the flood-related closures in 2023, Kraft said. "We are happy that we will be staying in downtown Davenport and being located in the City Square Building just across Second Street from our current location. The moving costs are estimated to be around $90,000, not counting the landlord's share of costs. That's why the fundraising goal is $120,000, to accommodate anything unexpected and to help cover operational costs during the transition.”
The museum's new lease is comparable to the current one with Common Chord, just scaled up to fit the added square footage (2,100 versus the current 1,600) in the new space, Kraft said, noting new operations will overall increase by around $10,000 a year. The new location will feature office space and a lobby/temp exhibit space, and the museum plans to be open in the new location by Bix's birthday on March 10, 2025.
"We’re proud of the partnership we’ve had with the Bix Museum as it has grown," said Tyson Danner, executive director of Common Chord. "We’re excited for them to move on to the next chapter of their story in a more visible location nearby. We’re also happy to see one of the empty spaces on our block of Second Street be put to use. Over Common Chord’s 20 years here, we’ve seen other businesses on the block come and go, but it is important to downtown and to Davenport as a whole to ensure the core of downtown stays active."
There is no planned future use for the basement level, Danner said, noting that each floor in the 1892 building is about 15,000 square feet. The frequent flooding (including the record spring 2019 flood downtown) was an unforeseen issue when the building was renovated as part of the private/public partnership before the former River Music Experience (today's Common Chord) opened in 2004. "Fortunately,” said Danner, “we have had productive discussions with Davenport’s city council about ensuring Common Chord has a sustainable future in the Redstone building.”
The Bix Museum will move to the space (formerly occupied by Junior Achievement) closest to the former Wells Fargo Bank branch, which closed in early 2024.
Kyle Carter, executive director of the Downtown Davenport Partnership, said the former bank space and other half of the “Center Building” on the north side of the block are still available.
"Having the Bix Museum much more visible will be a big benefit to both the organization and vibrancy of this core block of Main and Second Street downtown," Carter said. It also features The Current Iowa hotel and Garrison restaurant in the Redstone building.
“I have no doubt the museum will see a significant boost to attendance and make the entire block more appealing for new businesses,” Carter said. “Their relocation also helps solve another issue by enabling more flood resiliency options in the Redstone basement; thus, improving the long-term viability of the whole historically important property. A win-win-win.”
Overcoming Flood Issues, and Expanding
After nine years of planning, fundraising, and acquisition, the long dream of opening a Bix Museum was realized in its 2017 opening, and Kraft became its first director in 2020.
The museum collection has grown significantly since then, including the additions of: Bix’s tuxedo and travel trunk; Don Murray's saxophone; Spiegle Willcox's trombone and megaphone mute; a half-dozen artworks either of Bix or created by musicians who played with him; a newly discovered letter Bix wrote to his family; Bix's tennis trophy from a tournament he won as a kid; a collection of Bix 78s; a trombone and several other possessions from local musician and attorney Cy Churchill, who played with Bix in the Quad Cities; and several collections from archives.
“We have another archive collection being donated next spring, after the move, that we can't announce yet,” said Kraft, “We will have some new items for display, as well. And we have a new instrument acquisition that will be announced soon as part of the new exhibit plans.”
Flood woes have also been a dissonant note in the museum's history. In 2019, a foundation wall behind the museum started leaking when levees broke. Water entered the back section of the museum by the stage, which features a life-size model of a seated Bix. The collection was evacuated during this time, and the museum closed for about a month until after the water was pumped out and artifacts reinstalled. There was no damage to the museum itself, but the wall that breached was patched.
After the 2023 spring flooding, water swelled through every crack in the floor of the space inside and outside the museum, Kraft said, noting there was half an inch of sitting water across most of the lower level of the building for about eight days. It damaged all of the carpets and drywall in the entire floor, but none of the museum's displays were damaged.
The museum was then closed fully for six months, and then only open by appointment for another eight to 12 weeks. This, said Kraft, was because the original contractor took the job and then didn't start work for about two months.
“Eventually, our landlord Common Chord had to hire a new contractor to finish the job,” Kraft said. “The museum needed to deconstruct half of the exhibit so that the drywall could be replaced and putting it back together required a couple of weeks after work had completed.”
In February of 2024, the museum finally reopened for regular hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and by appointment on Saturdays and Sundays.
Common Chord, Kraft said, has been “a great partner that's helped the museum stay open during times our staff and volunteers could not be present and they work with us on several programs a year. They have always been a big advocate for us and often bring guests through the exhibit when they are doing their music education programming.
“We have an upcoming concert in the Redstone Room next May that Common Chord is sponsoring the space for,” he added, “as they encourage us to use their space when we have events. We hope to continue that relationship with them after the move.”
All the current exhibits will be moved to the new location, and the extra space will allow for display of new artifacts. The mural behind the stage will need to be repainted, but Kraft said that the mural's artist, Bruce Walters, has said he would be happy to help get it done.
Entrance to the museum has always been by donation only, to make it as accessible as possible. “This also gave guests the opportunity to see the museum first and decide after their visit what their experience was worth to them,” Kraft said. “Many of the guests who choose to donate have been very generous, so the museum hasn't changed our model since opening.”
However, the board has decided that after the relocation, there will be a new admission charge to help ensure organization stability. But Kraft noted that they will be mindful “so that the museum continues to be easily accessible to children, students, seniors, and those of low-income status who may not be able to afford an admission fee.”
How Can You Help?
Anyone who’d like to support the museum relocation can visit BixMuseum.org/supportus to find out how to donate online, or can send a check to Bix Beiderbecke Museum & World Archives, P.O. Box 3052, Davenport IA, 52808. Make sure to mention that you want the donation to go toward the relocation efforts.
There is also an online museum store with membership options at Bix-beiderbecke-museum-and-archives.square.site if you would like to offer support by getting a 2025 Bix Museum calendar, or by becoming a yearly donor through membership options.
“These are small ways people can make a big impact for us,” Kraft said, “as yearly members help keep the museum going with steady support.”
The museum is currently running a "$100 for 100 Years" campaign celebrating the centennial of Bix's first recorded music that ends on January 26, 2025 – the 100-year anniversary of Bix writing and recording “Davenport Blues.”
Any donor who contributes $100 or more toward the campaign will be recognized for their support on the museum site and annual report after the campaign has ended. Another way to support the museum mission is by becoming a sponsor of the organization.
If you want to fund a specific project or support the ongoing preservation of artifacts and the maintenance of the exhibit, Kraft said that there are options for that. For example, a new case for an artifact costs around $2,500 to build, and the yearly maintenance needs of the exhibit itself can cost up to $5,000 a year. You can contact Kraft at director@bixmuseum.org to discuss the sponsorship.
Another way to help support the relocation is with your time and expertise, as the museum will need volunteers to help deconstruct the exhibit, move the exhibit and artifacts, and then reinstall the exhibit.
“We would love to have new volunteers wanting to help staff the museum during open hours,” Kraft said, “as we are run by part-time staff and a small group of volunteers.”
