National Register of Historic Places

Seventh Street Commercial Historic District

Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois
Listed
March 23, 2005
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
04001304

About this property

The Seventh Street Commercial Historic District is a national historic district which encompasses several blocks of Seventh Street in Rockford, Illinois. The district was the commercial center of Rockford's substantial Swedish American community. Swedish settlement in Rockford began in 1852, and Swedes accounted for a third of the city's population by the 1890s; while the first Swedish American community formed around a railroad station on Kishwaukee Street, it shifted to Seventh Street in the late 1860s and 1870s. Seventh Street was home to the community's retail stores, community buildings, and two of its three banks. Forest City Furniture, the first major firm in Rockford's furniture industry, was also based there, as were many of its competitors. The buildings in the district exhibit many popular architectural styles of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including Italianate, Romanesque Revival, and Commercial. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 23, 2005.

Location

Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois
42.26322, -89.08093

Categories

COMMERCEEUROPEANINDUSTRYARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
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The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
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Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
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Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
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Literature
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Nearby Historic Sites

Lake-Peterson House
Industrial
0.4 mi
Haight Village Historic District (Additional Documentation)
Listed
0.5 mi
East Rockford Historic District
Listed
0.5 mi
Witwer House
Industrial
0.7 mi
Turner School
Industrial
0.8 mi

Nearby Battles

Stillman's Run May 14 1832
1832Early Republic
12.3 mi
Battle of Stillman's Run (Illinois)
1832Early Republic
12.5 mi
Black Hawk War — Battle of Stillman's Run
1832Early Republic
14.3 mi
Battle of Stillman's Run
1832Early Republic
15 mi

Questions about this property

When was Seventh Street Commercial Historic District listed on the National Register?

Seventh Street Commercial Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 23, 2005.

What type of historic resource is Seventh Street Commercial Historic District?

Seventh Street Commercial Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Seventh Street Commercial Historic District?

The period of significance for Seventh Street Commercial Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Seventh Street Commercial Historic District?

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