The Del Monty: Rock Island’s historic hotel

The Del Monty hotel, a distinctive brick building that sits at the bottom of Dufferin Street in Rock Island, has stood for nearly a century.
Construction cones placed outside the building recently have locals wondering what’s to become of the historic landmark.
According to The Record archives, the Del Monty hotel is located where the Union House, the first hotel in Rock Island, once stood in the 19th century. In 1915, the Union House was damaged in a fire and replaced by the Rock Island House.
In 1924, the Monty family, natives of Granby, purchased the Rock Island House from Albert Cooper. In 1931, the hotel was badly damaged in a fire that left a large part of the building destroyed. The Monty family then built the Del Monty hotel between the years 1931 to 1933 to replace the Rock Island House.

For full story and others, subscribe now.