Rockford's skyline: Here are the city's 10 tallest buildings

ROCKFORD — In its prime, the city’s tallest building was known as the premier hotel in the area, hosting such dignitaries as President Dwight D. Eisenhower and 1960 Democratic Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy.

The city’s third tallest building is a former factory that was vacant for decades and nearly torn down before being renovated into a five-star hotel.

Seven of the city’s 10 tallest buildings are located on two downtown streets.

Four of the city’s five tallest buildings were built before 1930.

Two of the city's tallest buildings — Brewington North and Brewington South — were demolished last fall. The identical, side-by-side towers were each 144 feet high.

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The removal of the Brewington towers left room on the city's top 10 list for others to move up.

If you stacked Rockford's 10 tallest buildings on top of each other, you'd get a combined height of 1,562 feet, just a little over 100 feet taller than Chicago's Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower.

Here is a rundown of the city's 10 tallest buildings today:

1. Faust Landmark, 630 E. State St. The 15-story building is 186 feet tall and opened in 1929. The building was formerly known as the Faust Hotel and Tebala Towers. It now has one and two-bedroom efficiency apartments.

2. Luther Center, 111 W. State St. The 16-story building is 178 feet tall and opened in 1979. Luther Center offers one and two bedroom apartments for people 60 and over.

3. Embassy Suites by Hilton Rockford Riverfront, 416 S. Main St. The 13-story building is 175 feet tall and opened as a textile factory in 1913. The historic structure was originally called the Ziock Building and was home to several manufacturing enterprises owned by William H. Ziock Jr. The building became the headquarters of Amerock in the 1940s before it was eventually abandoned. Gorman & Co. purchased the building in 2015 and renovated the structure into a hotel, which opened in 2020.

4. Residences at Talcott, 321 W. State St. The 13-story building is 163 feet tall and opened in 1927 as office space. The building was purchased in 2015 by Urban Equity Properties and converted into a mixed-use building featuring 63 luxury apartments, a fitness center, theater, rooftop deck and lounge on the 13th floor. There is office and retail space on the lower level.

5. Burnham Lofts, 202 W. State St. The 11-story structure is 155 feet tall, opened in 1907 and was formerly known as the Rockford Trust Building. The former office building was designed by renowned architect Daniel Burnham. The building was acquired by Urban Equity Properties in 2016 and now features retail space on the first floor and 62 apartments, a fitness center and lounge areas on floors 2 through 11.

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6. Rock River Tower, 913 N. Main St. The 14-story building is 149 feet tall and opened in 1963. The building features a mix of studio, one and two bedroom apartments with views of the Rock River. There’s also an inground swimming pool on site.

7. Skyrise Apartments, 841 N. Main St. The 14-story building is 146 feet tall and opened in 1972. Skyrise Apartments is a senior community for people 55 and over and features a spacious community room with a sundeck overlooking the city.

8. Park Terrace Apartments, 1000 Chamberlain St. The 14-story building stands 144 feet tall and opened in 1967. Park Terrace is a public housing development owned and managed by Rockford Housing Authority. It has 183 units and provides homes for elderly and those with disabilities.

9 (tie) Olesen Plaza, 571 N. Church St. The 14-story building is 133 feet tall and opened in 1973. Olesen Plaza is a public housing development owned and managed by the Rockford Housing Authority and offers 150 one-bedroom apartments for senior citizens.

North Main Manor, 505 N. Main St. The 13-story building is 133 feet tall and opened in 1968. North Main Manor is a public housing development owned and managed by the Rockford Housing Authority and is a 187-unit affordable housing community.

Ken DeCoster: kdecoster@rrstar.com; @DeCosterKen

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Top 10 tallest buildings in Rockford, Illinois, as of 2022