Chick House

Chick House is a former hotel building in downtown Rockford, Illinois, rather than a consumer brand or operating commercial company. The three-story brick structure was built in 1857 at the northwest corner of Main and Elm Streets under the name Griggs House. Its construction was financed by three Rockford residents: physician R. P. Lane and bankers Thomas D. Robertson and Charles H. Spafford. The property functioned as a hotel from its opening, serving travelers, boarders, diners, and other visitors to the growing city. Thomas Chick acquired the building in 1888 and renamed it Chick House, the name by which the historic structure is now generally known. During the early twentieth century, Chick leased parts of the building to various tenants and arranged additional lodging capacity in nearby structures. In 1902, room rates reportedly began at $1.50 per day, positioning it below Rockford's Nelson House, whose rates began at $2.00. A 1903 local newspaper described the Chick House and Nelson House as the city's leading hotels and noted the Chick House's popularity among commercial travelers, regular boarders, and Sunday diners. The property's hotel operation changed ownership and names over time. Thomas Chick's widow sold it in 1923 to John A. Saye of Milwaukee. It later closed temporarily for renovations and portions of the building were occupied by an office-supply business, a hardware store, and a shoe store. The hotel reopened in 1929 as the Elms Hotel and continued operating under that name until 1951. After hotel operations ended, the building remained important as a surviving example of Rockford's nineteenth-century commercial architecture. Architecturally, Chick House combines Greek Revival and Italianate elements in a restrained, utilitarian design suited to its original hotel use. The building has a roughly 66-foot east facade on Main Street and a 149-foot south facade on Elm Street. Its features include a stepped parapet, symmetrical window arrangement, horizontal stone sills and lintels, dentil molding, a brick corbel-table frieze, narrow windows, segmental arches, and cast-iron hood molds. An original L-shaped plan was expanded through additions made during the 1890s, 1900s, and 1932. The building is significant because it is one of only three surviving pre-Civil War commercial buildings in downtown Rockford and the only one of that group to retain substantial historic integrity. It is also the only surviving nineteenth-century hotel building in the city. The adjacent Stewart Building is a contrasting Richardson Romanesque landmark, while Chick House presents a simpler blend of Greek Revival and Italianate influences. The property was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1997 and is also recognized as a Rockford Landmark. In 2004, the City of Rockford purchased a two-thirds interest in the property with the intention of redeveloping and stabilizing the historic structure. Immediate preservation work followed after the city shut off gas and water, partly because an aging boiler could not safely withstand another winter. Repairs included temporary Plexiglas window protection, a green awning on the east facade extending slightly along the south facade, and parapet-wall work. The building's continuing importance is therefore primarily architectural, civic, and historic rather than commercial or brand-based.

Chick House was constructed in 1857 in downtown Rockford, Illinois, at the northwest corner of Main and Elm Streets. It originally operated as the Griggs House. The building was financed by physician R. P. Lane and bankers Thomas D. Robertson and Charles H. Spafford, three Rockford citizens associated with the city's early commercial development. From its opening, the structure served as a hotel. Thomas Chick purchased the property in 1888 and renamed it Chick House. During the first decades of the twentieth century, the proprietor leased sections of the building to different tenants and used nearby buildings to provide additional lodging capacity. In 1902, listed daily rates began at $1.50, lower than the $2.00 starting rate reported for the Nelson House. Contemporary local reporting identified both establishments as leading Rockford hotels and specifically associated Chick House with commercial travelers, permanent boarders, and Sunday diners. In 1923, Thomas Chick's widow sold the building to John A. Saye of Milwaukee. The hotel later closed temporarily while renovations were undertaken. During that period, commercial tenants including an office-supply store, hardware store, and shoe store occupied the eastern portion. The property reopened in 1929 as the Elms Hotel and remained a hotel until 1951. The three-story brick building combines Greek Revival and Italianate design elements. Its original L-shaped plan was modified by additions during the 1890s, 1900s, and in 1932. The architecture is relatively plain and functional, but it includes distinctive historic details such as a stepped parapet, symmetrical fenestration, stone sills and lintels, dentil moldings, a brick corbel-table frieze, segmental-arched windows, and cast-iron hood molds. The design is notable for standing in visual contrast to the neighboring Stewart Building, whose architecture is Richardson Romanesque. Chick House is one of three surviving pre-Civil War commercial buildings in downtown Rockford. Unlike the other two, which underwent extensive alterations to their front elevations, Chick House retained its historic character to a substantial degree. It is also the only nineteenth-century hotel building still standing in Rockford. These architectural and commercial-history associations supported its listing on the National Register of Historic Places on February 7, 1997. The building is additionally designated a Rockford Landmark by the Rockford Historic Preservation Commission. In 2004, the City of Rockford acquired two-thirds of the building as part of an effort to redevelop and preserve the property. The city undertook emergency stabilization after disconnecting gas and water service, in part because an old boiler was considered unsafe for another winter. Preservation measures included Plexiglas window coverings to reduce moisture intrusion, installation of a green awning on the east elevation, and repairs to the parapet wall. The available record describes Chick House as a historic building and former hotel, not as an active hotel company, retail brand, or product brand.

• 2004

  City acquisition and stabilization

  [1]Chick Houseen.wikipedia.org

  The City of Rockford acquired two-thirds of the building and began emergency repairs and preservation work.

• 1997

  Added to the National Register of Historic Places

  [1]Chick Houseen.wikipedia.org

  The Chick House was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places because of its architectural and commercial-history significance.

• 1951

  Hotel operations ended

  [1]Chick Houseen.wikipedia.org

  The building ceased operating as a hotel after its period as the Elms Hotel.

• 1929

  Reopened as the Elms Hotel

  [1]Chick Houseen.wikipedia.org

  After a temporary closure and renovation period, the hotel resumed operation under the Elms Hotel name.

• 1923

  Ownership transferred to John A. Saye

  [1]Chick Houseen.wikipedia.org

  Thomas Chick's widow sold the property to John A. Saye of Milwaukee.

• 1888

  Renamed Chick House

  [1]Chick Houseen.wikipedia.org

  Thomas Chick purchased the hotel and changed its name from Griggs House to Chick House.

• 1857

  Construction as the Griggs House

  [1]Chick Houseen.wikipedia.org

  A three-story brick hotel building was completed at Main and Elm Streets in downtown Rockford under the name Griggs House.

Historic commercial architecture and former hospitality property; not an active consumer brand.

• 2004

  Municipal preservation and redevelopment interventionStrategy

  Background

  The City of Rockford acquired a two-thirds interest in the deteriorating historic property with the intention of redeveloping it.

  Action taken

  The city shut off gas and water, made immediate structural repairs, added Plexiglas window protection, installed an awning, and repaired the parapet wall.

  Aftermath

  The intervention established municipal stewardship of a significant historic building, although the available reference does not specify a completed redevelopment program or later ownership outcome.

  Source

1. 1Chick Houseen.wikipedia.org