What was home to a successful Rockford seed and plant distributor more than 100 years ago and then to a bustling industrial business, is now a symbol of urban decay at 620 Buckbee St.
Most of the remaining windows of the five-story industrial building are shattered. Other doors and windows are boarded up. People appear to be taking shelter inside on occasion, and neighbors say it is an eyesore that attracts vagrants.
Rockford Fire Department officials have posted red ‘X’ signs on the building’s exterior, warning firefighters that entering the building during an emergency could be dangerous.
Rockford officials have condemned the building until it is repaired, citing the building owner with two dozen code violations. They include evidence of structural failure of the roof, support piers and exterior walls, according to a city code violation notice and report obtained by the Rockford Register Star.
Here is a look behind the red ‘X.’
Address: 620 Buckbee St.
Year built: Between 1897 and 1905.
Additions: Fourth and fifth floors added between 1913 and 1928.
Size: 52,000 square feet
More: Behind the red ‘X’: Huge vacant building has ties to Rockford industrial legacy
History: Built around 1900, it was originally a three-story structure. It was home to part of the H.W. Buckbee Company, a mail order wholesale seed and plant distributor, one of several that was in Rockford. The building was used primarily as office and warehouse space for the seed company. In 1944, Testor Products Company’s Woodworking Division which, among other products, made airplane pinewood models to scale, moved into the location, according to a history provided Robert Wilhelmi, a brownfield redevelopment specialist for Rockford. The building was restored after a major fire within weeks of Testor moving to the location. The company continued to lease most of the space there from private owners until 2005.
Recent past: After Testor left, the building became vacant and fell into severe disrepair. It was eventually abandoned, became tax delinquent and was seized by the Winnebago County tax trustee in 2016. It was acquired at auction by Sameer Hussain of South Barrington. Oliver Emerson Development had a few years ago investigated redeveloping the property as a 55-unit low-income apartment building and turning the vacant Dollar General building nearby into a grocery store. But with a working railroad track behind the building and other major challenges to redevelopment, a project didn’t move forward.
What’s up now: Hussain, the building owner, is expected to appear at a code violation hearing May 29 in Rockford. In addition to concerns about the structural integrity of the building, inspectors say environmental testing is required, boarded up doors and windows need to be repaired and that the property cannot continue to be a blight on the community among other violations. Hussain did not respond to a request for comment.
Jeff Kolkey writes about government, economic development and other issues for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached at (815) 987-1374, via email at [email protected] and on X @jeffkolkey.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Owner of former Testor Building in Rockford faces code violations
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