You Could Live in the Davenport Wonder Bread Factory Soon

The only thing to make this better is if the area still smelled like fresh baked bread as you drove by.

The former Wonder Bread Hostess Bakery at 1034 E. River Drive, Davenport will be turned into apartments soon. Finally.

Ever since the factory closed many years ago, I wondered (get it, WONDER-ed) why someone hadn't bought the building and turned it into funky apartments. Now someone has.

According to the QC Times, Dan Dolan, a Davenport builder, bought the building seven years ago. Now he and his family are partnering with the people who built The Bridges Lofts in downtown Bettendorf, Frank Levy and Newbury Building. They plan to turn the Wonder Bread Hostess factory into luxury apartments, called the Continental Lofts & Tower, paying homage to the  Continental Baking Co. which was the parent company for Wonder.

I grew up in Davenport and for most of my life it was a treat to drive by the building and take in a big whiff of the delicious smells of fresh baked breads and bakery products like Twinkies. My elementary school chums went on field trips there and each kid was given a tiny loaf of bread in the iconic white bread bag dotted with red and blue spots. I guess they wanted kids to get something more nutritious than a Twinkie as a free sample.

If you've lived in the Quad Cities long enough, you already know the stories and the smells. If you haven't been here long, you've probably just noticed a big, run down, factory that hasn't seen love in a long time. Here's what it used to look like.

The new owners and builders say the new lofts will be built for every aged tenant. They'll also have enough covered parking for all 82 units. The renovations will cost about $31 million and the team hopes to have their first tenants move in by Spring, 2022. That's good news for our area and the economy. See plans for the apartments and color photos here. Read more details about the project here.