From proposal to groundbreaking: The long road to Hard Rock Casino Rockford
ROCKFORD — Construction for the Hard Rock Casino Rockford officially started two weeks ago, but it's been a good eight years in the making.
Here's a look back at key events that lead up to last month's groundbreaking ceremony.
2008: Plans for a $25 million “Rick’s Place” restaurant, hotel and guitar museum featuring instruments from Cheap Trick legend Rick Nielsen’s collection evaporate amid a real estate market collapse and The Great Recession.
2014: Dotty’s gambling café chain owner Dan Fischer forges a partnership with Ringland Johnson Construction President Brent Johnson and Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen to pursue a casino in Rockford.
November 2016: The Clock Tower Resort & Conference Center closes after being ordered to repair code violations. They were discovered following a shooting that left one man dead and five others wounded.
May 2017: Fischer, Johnson and Nielsen lead a group of investors to purchase the Clock Tower property for $3.6 million.
Read this:Behind the scenes: How Rockford became the next new home for a Hard Rock Casino
June 2018: A bill that would have given Rockford a casino and expanded gaming in Illinois was approved by the Senate, but fails to come to a vote in the Illinois House.
April 2019: Rockford government and business leaders take out newspaper ads urging then Chicago mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot and Gov. JB Pritzker to support a casino in the Forest City. Rockford reaches a revenue sharing agreement with Winnebago County, Loves Park and Machesney Park should the city land a casino.
June 2019: Both houses of the Illinois General Assembly approve casino expansion legislation that will allow for construction of new casinos in six Illinois locations including Rockford and Chicago.
July 2019: Pritzker visits Rockford for a ceremonial bill signing celebrating gaming expansion and his $45 billion “Rebuilding Illinois” plan. Rockford has 120 days to find, approve and certify a viable casino proposal.
August 2019: Developers submit three separate casino proposals. Each pays a $75,000 application fee.
September 2019: Developers of the three casino proposals make their cases to the public on stage at the Coronado Performing Arts Center. They include the Hard Rock Casino Rockford with a Hard Rock Live venue and Hard Rock Café; a “Forest City Casino” on 136 acres off Lyford Road with a senior living facility, multiple hotels and water parks; and a Wisconsin-based Gorman & Co. proposal for a casino and entertainment district in downtown Rockford.
October 2019: Hard Rock wins Rockford City Council approval and certification on an 11-1 vote and Hard Rock applies for casino license before the Illinois Gaming Board.
November 2020: Rockford City Council agrees to invest $1.5 million annually from casino revenue into Rockford Promise scholarships that allow Rockford Public Schools students with a 3.0 GPA living in the city to attend Northern Illinois University tuition free.
April 2021: Hard Rock investors buy out the Castrogiovanni family and acquire Giovanni's Restaurant and Convention Center, 610 N. Bell School Road, for a temporary casino site. The Illinois Gaming Board denied the Castrogiovannis a supplier's license following a July 2020 incident at the family’s home.
June 2021: Illinois Gaming Board approves key investors and a request to begin construction of the estimated $8 million temporary casino.
November 2021: Rockford Casino: A Hard Rock Opening Act temporary casino opens with about 635 slot machines and plenty of rock ‘n roll memorabilia.
June 2022: In about six months of operations, the temporary casino draws 247,022 visits and rakes in more than $30 million in revenue and generating $1.8 million for local governments.
September 2022: Officials break ground on the Hard Rock Casino Rockford resort during an invitation-only event.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Hard Rock Casino Rockford Clock Tower Rick Nielsen Dan Fischer
