Douglas Park

A historic neighborhood looking toward the future

Douglas Park, named for the historic ball field at its core, is one of the three neighborhoods that make up Rock Island’s West End. Historic bungalows line the streets and, "everyone knows each other,'' says Rebecca Arnold, resource development manager at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, adding, "The social capital is strong.'' Though Douglas Park struggled for lack of infrastructure in the past, which hampered development, the community today is dedicated to improving itself and has recently completed a major park renovation.

“It’s why we do this work,” says Arnold. “We look at this neighborhood, and we see strength.”

Walkable streets lined with bungalows

Douglas Park, laid out in a grid, stretches from Illinois Route 92 to 11th Street. Narrow sidewalks line the tree-shaded streets, while homes sit close together on tidy lots. Bungalows with pointed A-frame roofs are most common, while some single-story ranches and Four Squares are scattered throughout the neighborhood. Homes in need of renovation range from $10,000 to $50,000, whereas turn-key homes sell for $60,000 to $130,000. Both ranges reflect lower prices than the surrounding areas, which typically see homes sell for thousands more, driving a citywide median price of around $130,000.

Douglas Park was site of the first NFL game

Douglas Park, the 1920 site of the first game in National Football League history, today features three fully equipped baseball diamonds and an adjacent playground with slides and climbing walls. The Parks and Recreation Department and Friends of Douglas Park, a non-profit organization, are working to redevelop and revitalize the park. Recent updates include a new ball field, a new lighted playground, a new concession stand and scoreboard, a new parking lot, and the removal of exterior fencing to give the park a more open and communal feel.

On 16th Avenue, Rauch Family Park offers a playground, a baseball field, a picnic area, and a hill popular for sledding in the winter.

Alternatively, Franklin Field, on the corner of 9th Street and 12th Avenue, provides its own vast lawn space.

Community-led revitalization

Just north of Douglas Park is the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, which conducts after-school programs, a summer day camp and various events throughout the year with a focus on education and community-building. One of its main projects is the West End Revitalization initiative, based upon a community-informed assessment conducted in 2021. “We found this model called collective impact. It respects this idea that people don’t live their lives in silos. Complex problems require complex solutions,” says Arnold. This plan addresses five core categories: Community Engagement, Personal Assets and Income, Housing and Land, Community Economic Vitality and Infrastructure and Visual Appeal. “It's not what you do; it's how you do it. We did it in a way where the community, led by grassroots leadership, was really driving the bus. We have the trust of our community from the work we've done for the past 50 years. We don’t take that trust lightly.”

Rock Island-Milan School District 41

Rock Island-Milan School District 41 serves the residents of Douglas Park. Students can begin their education at Frances Willard Elementary School, which received a C on Niche. Students can continue their education at Edison Junior High School, which scored a C-minus and finish their education at Rock Island High School, which received a B-minus. Rock Island High offers a college preparatory and vocational curriculum through honors and advanced placement courses.

Shopping and dining just outside the neighborhood

Getting around Douglas Park