Rockford Says Goodbye to the 163-Year-Old Briggs Mansion

A 163-year-old piece of Rockford history is officially coming down today, and it's a sad sight to see.

Briggs Mansion History

The Briggs Mansion located at 1244 E. State St. in Rockford was built in 1863 by C.C. Briggs, a Vermont native and local businessman who established the bank of Briggs, Spafford and Penfield in Rockford, which later became the Third National Bank.

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This mansion survived the Civil War, has links to the Underground Railroad movement, has been home to countless families and was once considered one of Rockford’s grandest homes.

In early April, it was confirmed that the historic Briggs Mansion would be demolished, and for months Rockford community members have been working hard trying to save it. Unfortunately, those efforts have been unsuccessful, and today, Tuesday, May 26, is officially demolition day.

Briggs Mansion Demolition

UW Health purchased the Briggs Mansion site in March as part of its long-term expansion plans for the UW Swedish American Hospital campus. Many people in the Rockford community hoped these expansion plans included repurposing the Briggs Mansion as office or clinic space, but sadly, the building is too old and structurally unsafe to make that happen.

Travis Anderson, CEO, UW Health in northern Illinois said in a statement:

While it is unfortunate that the building cannot continue to be used, our long-term plans for growth will allow us to better serve patients and the community for generations to come.

 

Progress can be a necessary evil, but these videos taken at the Briggs Mansion site this morning are tough to watch.

UW Health has not shared specifics about what they will be doing with the former Briggs Mansion site yet, but I sure hope it will be worth this city's historical loss.