Blighted former Rockford nursing home demolished

April 05-- Apr. 5--ROCKFORD -- A former nursing home that was an eyesore long before it was gutted by fire in December has been all but demolished.

Mayor Tom McNamara said only cleanup remains on the site at 1920 N. Main St. City officials said the building had become a public safety hazard as well as a source of blight.

Although legal issues remain to be settled, McNamara said it's possible the property will one day become part of the Rockford Park District's adjacent Brown Park, a neighborhood park that features a playground, ball field and tennis courts. McNamara said it would turn a property that had been a neighborhood albatross into an amenity.

"There's been no commitment one way or the other, but we've had promising discussions with the Rockford Park District," McNamara said, praising the park system for a renewed dedication to neighborhood parks and youth programming.

Park District Executive Director Jay Sandine said that if the property is returned to green space and becomes available, the district would be willing to make it part of an expanded Brown Park.

The former nursing home, owned by North Main Properties LLC, once housed 63 residents before it shut down in 2011 amid state regulators' concerns about the quality of care. It sat empty for years and had been allowed to deteriorate even after the city imposed a still unpaid $300,000 fine in 2017.

In August, nearly 100 volunteers from the neighborhood pitched in to remove overgrown foliage, clean up garbage and install decorative leaf-patterned boards in the windows that improved the look of the building.

Lawyers then filed a lawsuit in November asking a judge to force the owners to repair or demolish the structure, saying it was full of mold, attracted criminal activity and posed a hazard to the public.

A month later, the structure caught fire. Fire investigators listed the cause as undetermined.

The city obtained a court order in January that allowed it to demolish what remained of the building. The judge also allowed the city to place a lien on the property to recoup demolition costs, or potentially seize the deed to the property in the future.

Jeff Kolkey: 815-987-1374; jkolkey@rrstar.com; @jeffkolkey

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