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	Diocese of Davenport Headquarters up for Sale By Ann McGlynn Quad-City Times February 19, 2009 http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2009/02/19/news/local/doc499e0191d5551452212970.txt The headquarters complex of the Diocese of Davenport is up for sale. The St. Vincent Center is listed on the Mel Foster Commercial Web site for $3.5 million — $400,000 less than its estimated value in the $37 million diocesan bankruptcy settlement between sex abuse victims, the church and its insurance companies. Thad Denhartog, the real estate agent, said the property is a good candidate for redevelopment, with 50 acres and aging buildings that would require significant upgrades by new owners. The buildings include 21 apartments, one duplex, offices, workshops, four garages, a chapel, meeting rooms and a gymnasium. The land lies on Central Park Avenue along Duck Creek and is partially wooded. The bankruptcy trustee, who will receive the proceeds from the sale to disperse to sex abuse claimants, wants to sell it as one lot, Denhartog said. The trustee was granted the property's deed during the bankruptcy proceedings. He noted the property does include the 10 acres on which the Congregation of the Humility of Mary headquarters is located. However, that land is subject to the 100-year lease with the sisters, with a 100-year option to extend. The listing price, Denhartog said, "is a very fair listing price." He added: "We seem to have lots of interested parties." The headquarters for the diocese has remained at the St. Vincent's Center, and Deacon David Montgomery of the diocese said the location of the chancery offices will depend on the outcome of the sale of the property. Montgomery said that St. Ambrose University in Davenport has considered purchasing the property. He added that the diocese had no involvement in choosing the realtor and said the lesser value was determined by the bankruptcy trustee. The diocese filed for bankruptcy in October 2006 after it lost its first civil sex abuse trial. The lawsuit was brought by Mike Uhde, who was awarded $1.5 million by a Scott County jury for abuse he suffered as a child by the late Monsignor Thomas Feeney. The diocese, its insurance company and the creditors committee agreed to a $37 million settlement, with the stipulation that all Catholic entities in the diocese were to be released from liability just as the diocese will be released once the bankruptcy process is completed. Insurance company Travelers paid $19.5 million, the deed to the diocese-owned St. Vincent Center, valued at $3.9 million, was turned over to the bankruptcy trustee, and the diocese paid $13.5 million. More than 150 sex abuse victims are covered by the settlement.
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