The building is named for Theodore Finley Wharton. In the 1920s, Wharton was President of the Moline High School Athletic Booster Club and organized a group, the Maroon and White Association, to raise funds for construction of a field house. The field house would be adjacent to Browning Field (opened 1912) and host Moline Maroon teams. The Maroon and White Association eventually raised the necessary total of $175,000, aided by the sale of 620 $50 bonds, 100 $100 bonds and numerous bonds of higher value. The building was designed by local architect William Schulzke and completed in 1928. Originally named Moline Field House, it was renamed after Wharton in 1941.

The facility opened with a basketball game between Moline High School and Kewanee High School on December 21, 1928.

The facility received a new floor surface in 2015. The original floor had remained in place from 1928 until 1997, when it was first replaced. 7000 square feet of flooring was installed with mechanical ventilation.

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F i l t e r   &   S o r t