Riverbender Building Celebrates 100 Years with Special WWII Guest
On Oct. 24, 2025, you can mark a historic Alton building's 100th anniversary alongside attorney and local hero Robert Ryan.
ALTON - The Riverbender Building will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a special reception.
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At 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, the building’s tenants and the larger community are invited to a gathering on the first floor to celebrate the anniversary and honor long-time tenant Robert Ryan with cookies and coffee. Diane Flavan with Skyline Commercial Real Estate expressed the building owners’ appreciation for the community and culture that has developed in the building over the past ten decades.
“My owners are committed to community growth as a whole. They love Alton,” Flavan said.
The Riverbender Building opened in 1925 as First National Bank, and there are still bank vaults in the basement. These days, the building is home to office space and a wide range of tenants, including the Riverbender.com offices.
While the building has undergone a few renovations in recent years, the preservation of its history is important. Flavan highlighted the balance between this historic preservation and new development.
“Since John and Mark have owned the building, they’ve done a lot of renovations throughout the building. But we try to always retain the historic value of the property,” Flavan said. “We want to retain the historic value, but also keep everything up to date and update everything. We’ve renovated almost every suite and we’re working on doing some more renovations coming up soon.”
These renovations will include updates to the roof patio, which Flavan noted has “a beautiful view of Alton and the river and the bridge.” They also plan to redo some of the office spaces and conference rooms, with the goal of adding more tenants to their roster.
“We’re looking into innovative opportunities to get the building filled up,” she explained. “We do have several space opportunities right now. The owners are committed to doing what they can to help that area grow.”
The cookies and coffee event on Oct. 24, 2025, will celebrate the building’s history and growth while also recognizing Robert Ryan, who is over 100 years old himself. He has had an impressive 75-year career as an attorney, much of which has been spent at the Riverbender Building.
Ryan still practices law on the third floor of the building and regularly welcomes clients to the space. Diane, John and Mark noted that there is no one else they’d rather celebrate alongside the building.
“We love him to pieces,” Flavan said. “He’s the sweetest person ever.”
She hopes the Oct. 24 event serves as a chance to honor Ryan and the building’s past while also looking to the future. For more information about the Riverbender Building, including how to rent space, visit the official website at RiverbenderBuilding.com. You can call Flavan at 314-849-2100 or email her at diane@skylinemore.com.
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