RICHARDSON BUILDING

RICHARDSON BUILDING

The Richardson building is one of the oldest remaining buildings in Downtown Rockford. Built in 1857, it was owned by the Richardson family for over 140 years.

Over the years the building has been home to many businesses. It’s longest standing tenant was the Wortham department store who substantially modified the building in the 1950’s. These modifications included erecting enameled steel panels to modernize the buildings front façade. As a result, much of the original architectural masonry details were chiseled off, including the decorative window arches and parapet detail, and over 300 fasteners were installed causing significant damage to the original brick faces.

We were contracted to remove the existing steel panel system and determine the extent of repairs required to fully restore the front façade to its original design. Restoration included stripping the many layers of existing paint, locating vintage brick to match the original, tuck pointing, and rebuilding all of the damaged window arches, as well as, restoring the parapet and other decorative masonry details.