History
The Chick House is located in present-day downtown Rockford, Illinois, directly across the street from the Rockford MetroCentre. The Chick House was constructed in 1857 under the name Griggs House on the northwest corner of Main and Elm Streets in downtown Rockford. Its construction was financed by three Rockford residents, Dr. R.P. Lane, and two bankers, Thomas D. Robertson, and Charles H. Spafford. From its construction in 1888 the building operated as the Griggs House hotel. Thomas Chick purchased the building in 1888 and rechristened the hotel as Chick House. Through the early 1900s parts of the buildings were occupied by various tenants as Chick leased out space, and Chick rented out space in adjacent buildings to supply additional lodging space for the Chick House hotel.
Rates at the Chick House, in 1902, started at US$1.50 per day, compared to the Nelson House at $2.00 per day; the Nelson House opened in Rockford in 1892. In 1903 the Rockford Morning Star called the Chick House and the Nelson House the leading hotels in Rockford. The same article noted the popularity of the Chick House with commercial travelers, regular boarders, and Sunday diners.
In 1923, Thomas Chick's widow sold the Chick House to John A. Saye of Milwaukee. The Chick House, considered one of Rockford's resident hotels, was one of 23 hotels, and the oldest in the city when it sold in 1923. The Chick House remained in operation until 1928. The building was sold and closed for a time for renovations. During its closure, an office supply store, hardware store, and shoe store occupied the east end of the structure. In 1929 the hotel reopened under the name Elms Hotel, it remained in operation as such until 1951.
In 2004 the city of Rockford purchased two-thirds of the Chick House with the intention of redeveloping the historic property. In October the city shut off gas and water, in part because of an old boiler which would not survive another winter; the electricity remained on during this time. The city set about to make immediate repairs to prevent the building from deteriorating structurally. The work included the installation of Plexiglas windows to keep further moisture out, the installation of a green awning on the east facade which wraps around to the south slightly, and repairs to the parapet wall.
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