One Creepy School in Illinois Is Finally Coming Down After Sitting Abandoned for 30 Years
Church School on Blaisdell Street in Rockford, Illinois has sat abandoned for 30 years after many plans to repurpose it have failed, and this week it finally started coming down.
The History of Rockford's Church School
Church School in Rockford was built back in 1894 and served as a Rockford Public School until it was officially closed in 1993 by the District. In the last 30 years since the school's closing, the building has had a few new owners with big plans to renovate/and or repurpose it, but those plans never became a reality.
Church School was once a treasured part of the Rockford community, but now the building has become a major eye sore for the neighborhood, a hot spot for break-ins and vandalism, it has suffered floods, and most recently, a few suspicious fires.
To fully grasp how bad things have gotten at the old Church School, just watch this video...
Church School in Rockford is Finally Being Demolished
Back in April of 2023 the Rockford City Council officially approved the demolition of Church School, and that process finally began this week.
While some Rockford residents are sad to see a historic building being torn done, everyone seems to agree that the building has been an extreme hazard for years and that its demolition is long overdue.
According to the Rockford Register Star, the company in charge of the project, N-TRAK Group LLC. of Loves Park said;
The entire project will take about five weeks, an N-TRAK official said. As much of the concrete and brick as possible — an estimated 4 million pounds — will be recycled as road stone and fill for other projects.
What's Next for The Former Church School Grounds?
In the years since Church School was closed plans of turning the building into a community center or apartment complex had been thrown around, but never got off the ground. At the end of the 5-week demolition project, 1419 Blaisdell Street will be converted into a greenspace for the surrounding neighborhood community to enjoy.
Here are some more pics of what Church School looked like inside before the wrecking ball moved in...