By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The challenges of redeveloping the former Illinois National Guard Armory after it sat vacant for roughly a quarter-century are evident.

Old gym hardwood floorboards are peeling up, paint on the walls is peeling off, weeds and moss are sprouting from the floors and water damage from a leaky roof continues to wreak havoc on everything below.

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There are also hidden environmental issues, with asbestos-containing floor tile and asbestos pipe wrap, as well as suspected lead paint. All of that would need to be carefully remediated before work to restore the property could begin.

“When the city purchased it in 2006, it hadn’t been maintained, the roof was starting to go,” said Rob Wilhelmi, the city’s brownfields redevelopment specialist. “The city didn’t have the budget to do a full restoration on it, so the building has continued to decay since.”

There are reasons developers would be willing to take on such a project — namely its Art Deco style brick-and-stone historic structure and the availability of tax credits and other incentives to help cover the cost of a difficult redevelopment. The 88-year-old building also has solid bones, meaning its structural foundation remains in tact.

“For sitting empty for 25 years, the steel deck and the steel beams in here are in immaculate shape,” Wilhelmi said.

The former Illinois National Guard Armory on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, on North Main Street in Rockford. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

In late July, City Council members decided to place the building at 605 N. Main St. up for sale, giving developers a crack at proposing new uses for the 57,000-square-foot property.

Despite the challenges that await, city officials say there has been interest from multiple developers. City Council members will ultimately have the say in approving a proposal and any additional incentives that go with it.

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The city hasn’t revealed any of the proposals so far, but some potential developers have publicly pitched ideas of a museum and a cultural civic center. The city expects to put a plan forward before the end of the year.

“We have had interest in the potential redevelopment, and we’re hopeful a project will advance in the next couple of months,” said Todd Cagnoni, city administrator.

Rob Wilhelmi, Rockford’s brownfields redevelopment specialist, looks over old trophy cases on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, at the former Illinois National Guard Armory in Rockford. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

The Illinois National Guard Armory was built in 1936 by Sjostrom & Sons and designed by Bradley & Bradley Architects. Benson Stone did the exterior stonework, Wilhelmi said.

The National Guard operated out of the facility until 1993, when a more modern Armory was built on North Second Street in Machesney Park.

The central civic area of the Armory looks like a large gymnasium with upper deck stone seating and a steel deck. That space was once the primary entertainment home in the city before the opening of the MetroCentre — now the BMO Center — in 1981.

“If you look at the musicians who have been here in the ’70s, it was a whose who of ’70s rock and roll,” Wilhelmi said. “You had Fleetwood Mac, Styx, Cheap Trick, ZZ Top — you name it, they’ve been here — REO Speedwagon, the list just goes on and on.”

An entryway to the former Illinois National Guard Armory on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Rockford. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

The property was used as OIC Vocational Institute from 1996-1999, and it fell into disrepair as other plans for the site never materialized.

The city took over the property in October 2006.

“Unfortunately, that was right before the economic recession, so the building has continued to deteriorate since,” Wilhelmi said. “As the economy has improved, though, we have development interest for it once again and we’re positioning it for that.”

City officials are optimistic that their is a path forward to bring the venue back to life.

“When I started working for the city in 2015 a lot of these types of projects were just dreams, now to actually see them bearing fruit and under redevelopment it’s just a great thing for the city,” Wilhelmi said.

Photos: Inside the former Illinois National Guard Armory in Rockford

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas