By: Deborah Johnson Wood
When the Rockford American Legion decided to move to a new, larger space, developer Tom Cronkright of Cronkright Ventures decided to buy the two-story former American Legion hall at 120-126 Courtland Street and transform it into retail and office space.
Most of the $150,000 for the renovation went to improving the exterior of the circa 1920s building: removing the outdated aluminum siding revealed seven window openings for three new retail storefronts, the entryways were leveled and aligned, the decorative block masonry repaired, and a boardwalk erected across the front to connect the retail spaces.
Crews ripped out an old kitchen, four bathrooms, dividing walls, drop ceilings and flooring to open the space and reveal the original tin ceilings and hardwood floors.
"The property had more building than land," Cronkright says with a laugh, "and was encroaching on city property to the back. On the front, because of the elevation and its proximity to the sidewalk, we couldn't engineer a handicap accessible ramp so we had to seek a barrier free exemption."
The three storefronts total 4,500 square feet—Wiggles N Giggles and Rockford Dry Dock occupy two of the spaces. Cronkright declined to name the third retail business currently doing a buildout, citing confidentiality. Upstairs, tenants have leased the two office spaces.
The hall is the third building on Courtland Street renovated into retail space by Cronkright.
"On Courtland just east of Main there hasn't been the density of storefronts to change the shopping traffic pattern," he says. "I think we're doing that now."
Source: Tom Cronkright, Cronkright Ventures (courtesy photo)
Related Articles
Rockford's first LEED building, and new business, comes downtown
Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.