An inside look at the old Rever’s Marina as it is prepped for redevelopment in Rockford

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The last time most people saw the inside of the Rever’s Marina building in downtown was in early 2020 on an episode of the History Channel show “American Pickers.”

The late Jim Rever, who operated the marina for years, showed off a literal boatload of vintage goods including motorcycles, boats and large signs on the show.

“It’s incredible how much stuff was in this building — forklifts and snowmobiles — just incredible amounts of inventory,” said Teague Dickey, whose LLC called Skinny Dip Inn bought the building at 220 N. Water St. in July.

Dickey plans to transform the roughly 140-year-old building, which was condemned in 2019 over code violations, into a mix of spacious apartments, office space and a dockside restaurant.

“Rockford means a lot to me and there’s a lot of momentum in downtown Rockford,” he said. “We’re making a massive investment in the Iconic Building just down the street, and having this building just two doors down be so dark, it kind of gives a negative persona to a lot of people coming downtown — it’s dark, it’s nasty, it’s unsafe — I feel that bringing life to this building really shuts off any potential for that thought or that feeling.”

The plan calls for turning the top three floors of the five-story building into residential living with what Dickey suspects will be some of the largest loft apartments in town. There’s roughly 30,000 square feet of space between the three floors.

The first floor along Water Street has 10,000 square feet for offices or other commercial use, with the expectation for two to three businesses to fill the space.

The lower level along the Rock River will become a bar and restaurant with dockside dining. Skinny Dip will also install new docks to support that business.

“A strain on this property was that it has zero parking, but we actually own the parking lot that’s adjacent to it, so having those two work together will really help this property be successful,” Dickey said.

Rever had about 65 boats and vehicles in the building when Skinny Dip Inn bought it for $300,000 on July 18. Those were all cleared out over the last few months. Rever, who served in the Army during the Korean War before operating the marina, died Nov. 4 at age 88. A celebration of life was held for him Saturday on what would have been his 89th birthday.

The property dates back to about 1890 and served as a train depot and wholesale grocery warehouse.

The building will be redeveloped leaving the historic characteristics in tact. That includes a steel cash register that was part of the original transaction window more than a century ago, he said.

Since purchasing the property, Dickey’s company has replaced the leaking roof and made other minimal interior work to prepare the site for construction.

The goal is to finalize the plans for the site in the next three months, then submit for historic tax credits to help fund the development.

With approval, the goal is to start construction in about a year’s time. Construction would last roughly a year, meaning the first residents and businesses would likely arrive in 2027. It’s expected to be a roughly $8.5 million project.

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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