Demolishing a School: Rockford High School 
Also known as Rockford Central High School

1. North addition, photo circa 2013. Used as administration building after the high school was closed.

2. Built in 1913 on the southwest corner of Madison and Walnut. Demolished in March of 2015.

The whole of it is gone now.  All the buildings that were built for Rockford High School in the 200 and 300 blocks of South Madison.  All  that remains is the old Watch Factory which was used as a school facility but was sold when the administration was moved to the building called the north addition.  The picture above is the building that was on the corner of Madison and Walnut. It is the building that was demolished in March, 2015.  

Four school buildings were built: one in 1885, one in 1900, one in1906, one in 1913. Also, bridges were built between the buildings connection them to each other.  These bridges were like extended hallways, some like small buildings themselves. All of these buildings together, bridges and schools, spanned the distance between Walnut Street and the old Watch Factory building.
 
In 1913, when the fourth addition to the high school was built, the two old buildings to its south were nearly demolished and new buildings were erected that conformed with the architectural style of the 1906 building and the new north addition (see photo 12).  


In 1917, the school district bought the old Watch Factory building intending to use it as administative offices and overflow classrooms if needed (they were needed).   Eventually a bridge was built between the factory and the school building to its north. When the building north of the Watch Factory was razed, the bridge remained.  However, the bridge was torn down in March, 2015.  

3. All that was left of the Rockford High School north addition at the southwest corner of Madison and Walnut, 3-26-2015.

4. South end of old Watch Factory, Taken 3-26-2015. Looking north.

5. Watch Factory, circa 1910. You can see the high school builidng i(1906) next to the Watch Factory. This picture was probably taken between 1906 and 1917. The factory went bankrupt in 1901, but was bought and continued to operate until 1917 when the factory closed and the building was sold to the school district. (Source: ROCKFORD REPUBLIC, August 20, 1917)

6. Rockford High School. Building 1. Built in 1884.

7. Rockford High School. Note the bridge between the two buildings. Building on the right was built in 1884-5. The building on the left was completed in 1900. These Buildings were replaced by a newer one in 1913-14. (See photo 12.)

8. This building was built in 1906. It was south of the two buildings above. Note the bridge between the buildings.

9. Rockford High School 1906 building.

10. Rockford High School. South Madison Street, looking south on right from foreground back. Building 1 (1884), Building 2 (1900) Building 3 (1906)

11. Rockford High School. North building. Demolished, March 2015. Photo circa 1980s, (Wikipedia)

12. Rockford High School. Post card circa 1916. Three structures south of the new addition are the remake of the old buildings (see photo number 7).

13. Rockford High interior, circa 1916.

14. Rockford High School 1906 addition. North of this building are the two older buildings.

15. Rockford High School. 1906 building,

16. Entrance to high school circa 1923.

18. Watch Factory building circa 1923.

17. Entrance to high school circa 1923.

19. Bridge between high school and school administration. This is the annex (bridge) that was attached to old Watch Factory. Demolished March, 2015.

20. Old Watch Factory. Photo taken 3/26/2015. Clearly visible is the place where the bridge (above) was attached to the building. It was demolished, but was not a part of the Watch Factory. It was a bridge from the high school to the Watch Factory when the building served as the Administration Building after 1917. It matched the other high school buildings.

Copyright Rockford Historical Society, 2015. All rights reserved. 
PHOTO CREDITS
Demolition photos and bridge photo by CFox
Circa  1923 pictures from Rockford High School Yearbook
Post card pictures of the high school at varioua times.
Post card picture of the Old Watch Factory.




*****************************************************************************************************************************