In 1995, the German American Heritage Center Board of Directors purchased an old hotel in downtown Davenport and began remodeling
the hotel. It was a small group of passionate volunteers united to preserve and celebrate German-American heritage.
In 2009, the entire third floor of the hotel has been remodeled into gallery space greatly expanding the number of exhibits the heritage center has to
offer. On Friday, October 2, at 6:30 P.M. the center will have a grand opening to celebrate the new expansion.
Applied Art provided the German American Heritage Center with three electronic interactives, ambient
audios for two rooms, and a theater.
The Telephone Party Line exhibit consists of three antique telephones displayed on pedestals. This interactive exhibit allows visitors to eavesdrop on
three separate telephone “party line” conversations by picking up the handset and listening in. The conversations are between two people speaking with
German accents and are designed to show the paranoia that existed during WWII when speaking German in Iowa was illegal.
The Immigrant Stories exhibit is in a section of the museum that is dedicated to telling the stories of immigrants from 1848 till 1925. The interactive
exhibit allows visitors to browse though the stories of German immigrant background and experiences. Visitors will enjoy an engaging multimedia experience
that delivers the German immigrant’s story through the use of graphics, audio, and photos. The stories are divided into four categories: German Culture
and History, Experiences in a New Home, German Impact in Quad City Region and German Heritage. The interactive is displayed on a 40 inch monitor oriented
in portrait mode. The visitor uses a track ball and push buttons to interact with the software.
The Step Into My Shoes exhibit invites visitors to step on one of three sets of footprints located on the floor in front of the exhibit. The three sets
of footprints represent a man, a woman, and a youth. Stepping on one of the sets of footprints will start a video of a German immigrant telling their
story of traveling to America or their experiences in America. The videos are displayed on a 52 inch monitor oriented in portrait mode.