ROCKFORD, IL — Mayor Tom McNamara broke a tied City Council vote to demolish the 113-year-old former Elks Lodge #64.
The Nov. 3 decision comes after weeks of deliberation over the fate of the dilapidated but historic downtown landmark.
Owner Mark McInnis of Argyll Properties bought the building in 2011 with the intent of renovating it into a live music venue, reception hall and restaurant — plans that never came to fruition even after a Winnebago County judge ordered that the building be brought up to code or be demolished.
Officials said owner McInnis has declined an offer to sell the building to the city of Rockford for $1 in exchange for the city forgiving an estimated $150,000 in code violation fines and liens.
It is unclear if the building could survive if McInnis now accepted the city’s offer or if buyers — purported to be interested in the building — somehow acquired it before the wrecking ball swings.
While the Rockford City Council voted in favor of spending $233,108 to demolish the former Elks Lodge, no timeline was set.
“It’s a national landmark dangling by a thread,” said Ald. Mark Bonne, D-14, who has fought for months to preserve the building.
City Administrator Todd Cagnoni said the city is proceeding with plans to demolish the property. Officials say the property has become a nuisance and a danger to first responders. They said demolition is needed “to eliminate slum and blighting conditions” of the vacant and dilapidated structures.
The former Elks Lodge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. It was designed by Chicago architect Lawrence P. Buck in the classical revival style with prairie school influences. There is a classical revival ballroom with arched ceiling beams on the second floor and a bowling alley on the lower level.
Reviews commissioned by Landmarks Illinois found the building could be saved but needed as much as $420,000 worth of repairs to stabilize it within a year.
Ald. Chad Tuneberg, R-3, Kevin Frost, R-4, Aprel Prunty, D-6, Janessa Wilkins, D-7, Dawn Granath, D-9, and Jaime Salgado, D-11 voted in favor of demolition. Ald. Gabrielle Torina, D-5, Karen Hoffman, D-8, Frank Beach, R-10, Gina Meeks, D-12, Tamir Bell, D-13, and Mark Bonne, D-14 voted against demolition.
Ald. Tim Durkee, R-1, and Jonathan Logemann, D-2, were absent.
Jeff Kolkey writes about government, economic development and other issues for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on X @jeffkolkey.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Goodbye, Elks Lodge: Rockford approves bid for demolition of historic building
Reporting by Jeff Kolkey, Rockford Register Star / Rockford Register Star
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