Rockford Area Arts Council pursues $1.5M in federal funds to rid former Armory of hazardous materials

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The Rockford Area Arts Council will pursue $1.5 million in federal funding to complete its cleanup of asbestos and other hazardous building materials at the former Illinois National Guard Armory.

The nonprofit is applying for a federal Environmental Protection Agency grant it hopes will cover the cost of remediation work to prep the site for development. It’s expected to be a two-year process to solidify grant funding and clean the property before developers are ready to move forward with transforming the 88-year-old building at 605 N. Main St. into a cultural civic center and studio apartments for artist living.

“If the grant is awarded and implemented, we’re going to get all this work done and it will be ready to turn over for renovation,” said Joel Zirkle, principal of the environmental and engineering firm Fehr Graham, which is working with the Arts Council on the cleanup. “The goal would be to make it ready for all the other trades to come in and do their work.”

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The grant application, which the council must submit by Thursday, is the Arts Council’s first step toward redeveloping the property after agreeing to purchase the dilapidated 57,000-square-foot building from the city for $1,000. The city had solicited bids to sell the property, and the Arts Council was the only group to enter an offer.

Additional tax funding is expected to be needed to help finance the rebuild, but those discussions won’t move forward until the environmental cleanup is complete in late 2026 or early 2027.

If the Arts Council doesn’t win funding for the cleanup from the EPA, it would turn the property back over to the city. Similarly, if the cleanup work is complete but the redevelopment can’t be funded, the property could be turned back over to the city to find another suitable developer.

Environmental issues

The grant money will be used to rid the property of asbestos, lead-based paint, old light fixtures containing toxic PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), mercury-containing light switches, lead issues in the old gun range and other hazardous building materials.

Neighbors say they’re eager to see improvements to the historic Art Deco building after it has sat vacant for a quarter century and deteriorated with broken windows, roof leaks and other issues.

“I’ve always felt the building is a treasure. It’s a very unique style designed by local people,” said Frank Houtkamp, who lives behind the property. “There’s only one building in the world like it. The design of it is very distinctive. The space is in it is beautiful — or could be, it’s a mess right now.

“I’ve always felt very endeared to that building, and I think it would be a great loss if it wasn’t saved.”

The Arts Council plans to work with developers Gorman & Co. and Urban Equity Properties to turn the property into a civic center for a multitude of different performances and events as well as a hub for cultural groups.

“Our ability to reach into our networks and pull capital is what’s going to make this project work,” said Ron Clewer, Illinois market president for Gorman & Co. “I think having two developers at the table who understand this — (Urban Equity Properties) has done a lot of work in historic, as have we, but we also have the expertise in the affordable piece because it will be artist housing — makes absolute sense.”

The property would also have 26-30 affordable studio apartments for artists. The council is exploring several possibilities for parking, including potential underground parking.

It could also serve as an expansion space for Rockford Dance Co., Rockford Art Museum and Rockford Symphony Orchestra offices.

The Arts Council expects to learn whether it won the grant funding by May, and then work the remainder of the year to finalize the paperwork with the federal government and prepare to solicit bids from contractors to handle the cleanup work.

The work would begin in early 2026 with anticipated cleanup by the end of that year.

The armory was built in 1936 by Sjostrom & Sons and designed by Bradley & Bradley Architects for the Illinois Army National Guard, which operated there until 1993.

The property hosted some of the biggest entertainment acts in the 1970s and 1980s before the debut of the MetroCentre, now the BMO Center, in 1986.

The building was used as OIC Vocational Institute from 1996-1999 after the National Guard’s departure for a new home in Machesney Park.

The property fell into disrepair after the group ceased operations and other plans for the site never materialized. The city took ownership in October 2006 after it had sat vacant for seven years.

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