City leaders from Clinton were at the state capitol Thursday to unveil new signs which tout the new “Riverview” cultural and entertainment district in downtown Clinton. Clinton Mayor LaMetta Wynn says the city library as well as antique stores, gift shops, jewelry stores, restaurants and bars are all in downtown Clinton.
“We have buildings that have been redone to have housing there,” Wynn says. “We had the big stores there and the big stores left. Now we have the smaller ones.” Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs director Anita Walker says the district runs right along the Mississippi River. “Clinton has recognized wonderful ways to capitalize on what is real and authentic and special about the place that is Clinton,” Walker says. The Riverview District will be a “magnet” that will bring people to Clinton for arts and entertainment, according to Walker. “So people can come and visit, enjoy the river, enjoy the historic fabric that’s present,” Walker says.
The state has given Clinton four large signs to place in and near the downtown area to highlight the historic district, and the city may purchase more. Iowa Lieutenant Governor Sally Pederson says focusing on arts and entertainment is important in today’s society. Pederson says she’s reminded of a book called “High Tech/High Touch” that concludes people today need more opportunities to connect with other people because our computerized world can lead to such isolation.
The Riverview cultural and entertainment district in Clinton covers about two dozen blocks and runs along Fifth Avenue, the business thoroughfare of Clinton today and when the city was laid out in 1855.