Gannett sells Rockford Register Star building to Iconic Energy
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The historic Rockford Register Star building, an iconic part of the city’s downtown skyline, has been sold to a local business that plans to rehabilitate the property and turn it into its new company headquarters.
Iconic Energy President and CEO Teague Dickey purchased the News Tower via a subsidiary company from Gannett, the newspaper’s parent company, for $1.7 million, the newspaper reported Wednesday.
The Register Star will continue to operate from the building, leasing space from Iconic. Rock Valley College will also continue to lease space in the building for its downtown operation.
The newspaper reported that the local solar company plans to invest $8 million into rehabilitating the property.
The News Tower, 99 E. State St., was designed after Tribune Tower in Chicago and built in 1930. Tribune Tower was sold in September 2016.
The paper previously shut down its printing press in April 2020, moving print operations to Milwaukee. The press, which went online in 2006 to replace a previous machine, was dismantled and removed from the building.
The building had been for sale since November 2018.
The Register Star’s full report on the building sale can be found here.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.
