ROCKFORD, IL (May 2025) – Today, Mayor Tom McNamara and Mary McNamara Bernsten, Executive Director of the Rockford Area Arts Council (RAAC), announced that the RAAC has been awarded $1.54 million from the U.S. EPA for the environmental cleanup of the former Illinois National Guard Armory at 605 N. Main Street.
Last fall, the City sold the 57,000-square-foot facility to the Rockford Area Arts Council with a shared vision of transforming it into a vibrant cultural center. Plans for the space include visual and performing arts venues, along with live/work spaces for artists, fostering creativity, community and cultural growth in the heart of Rockford.
The funding will support a range of environmental remediation efforts, giving the Arts Council and its partners a “blank canvas” for future development. Planned projects include emergency roof repairs and structural stabilization, mold and asbestos abatement, lead paint encapsulation and removal, and the decommissioning of a former basement shooting range.
“This environmental cleanup award is a true community win and the first step in a major community impact project,” says Mary. “The Arts Council’s Regional Cultural Plan, finalized in July 2024, highlighted a consistent theme echoed by participants: the critical need for shared, affordable, quality space for arts and culture. The reimagined Rockford Armory will embody how communities can celebrate diversity and uplift our shared humanity.”
In addition, the City of Rockford will receive $500,000 for community-wide environmental assessment and $650,000 in Revolving Loan Funds that can be loaned out for environmental cleanup work.
“This RAAC project will complement the already successful Riverfront Museum Park campus and help fill a housing gap by providing affordable artist living and workspaces,” says Mayor McNamara. “These additional grants will continue to spark transformative projects, much like the UW Health Sports Factory and Embassy Suites Riverfront Hotel, both of which were made possible through similar funding support.”