1884 City and Town Hall

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 11, 2023

1. 1884 City and Town Hall Marker

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From the National Register Nomination prepared by Steve Frank & Peri Query, Rochelle Historic Preservation Commission, 5/4/1992:
The City and Town Hall is constructed of soft red bricks made from red clay deposits in Rochelle. Two tile and brick companies were in Rochelle at the time but it is not known which of the two furnished the bricks. The stone used for the outer and center foundation was cut from Braiden's Quarry by Kyte River in Rochelle. All four facades of the two-story structure have decorative metal cornice brackets and a decorative brick entablature with expressed dentils under the metal eaves. White brick quoins adorn the four external corners of the two-story structure. The first floor on the north facade has two double hung windows and the original main public entrance door with an arched transom window. On the second story of the north facade are two double hung windows that flank central paired windows with a double arch.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 11, 2023

2. 1884 City and Town Hall Marker

The marker is near the northwest corner of the building, on the right side of the front entrance.

The City and Town Hall is a significant building associated with the governmental/political administration of Rochelle beginning in 1884. The brick building has always been a public building and an integral part of the community's heritage. The City and Town Hall is of Italianate design and exceptionally well-constructed. In 1866 Flagg Township voted a township tax of $3,000 for the purpose of building a town house, with the understanding that the City of Rochelle would also pay $3,000. There were heated disagreements regarding the kind of building proposed, the city officials wanted a cheaper building erected and thus, the city did not pay its share. Eighteen years later, in 1844, an agreement was struck between the Township and the City of Rochelle. The City and Town Hall was designed by Bradley and Son of Rockford using a sketch made by Rochelle Alderman Sam J. Parker. A local contractor, John R. Steele constructed the City and Town Hall at a cost of $6,200 using local stone and brick.

The City and Town Hall was the first publicly owned hall for the city. It served as the focal point of political, social and governmental functions for 84 years. The offices in The City and Town Hall have been used throughout the years by a federal marshal, mayor, probation officer, driver’s license examiner, unemployment compensation representative, W.P.A. 1935 Administration, social security

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 11, 2023

3. 1884 City and Town Hall (north/front elevation)

office and many more. Because the hall is a well-known landmark in Rochelle and contains a large and open second floor, many organizations such as the Rochelle Anti-Horse Thief Association held meetings there.

Excerpt:  The City and Town Hall in Rochelle, Illinois, operates as the township history museum, holding a number of static displays on local history. The building was erected in 1884 following an 18-year disagreement about the structure's cost between the city of Rochelle and Flagg Township. The period of greatest significance for the City and Town Hall is 1885–1942, between those years the building housed numerous governmental and political entities, at the local, state and national levels. Besides serving as the Rochelle City Council chambers from 1884 to 1968, the building housed many entities including: the fire station (1884–1930), police station and jail (1884–1931), township board and meeting rooms (1884–1968), and the library (1891–1912).

Excerpt:  The building in which the Flagg Township Museum is now housed was originally

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 11, 2023

4. 1884 City and Town Hall (west elevation)

From the National Register Nomination:   The single-story structure on the south facade of the main building [visible here at the right edge] was the men's jail with its own entrance on the west wall. Two metal jail cells are still intact.

built in 1884 as the City and Town Hall which also included the fire and police stations. After City and Town Hall outgrew this building, it was scheduled to be torn down and used as a parking lot. The Flagg Township Historical Society quickly expressed interest in using the building as a museum. City and Town Hall generously "sold" the building to the Society for $1.00. Some of the most notable artifacts include the Partin-Palmer automobile which is the only known one in existence, uniforms from the Civil and World Wars, prehistoric stone tools, historical medical devices, student desks from one-room schools, and 18th-20th century women's and men's clothing. Architectural aspects of the building's original function, including the jail cell and historical fire station doors, are still conserved within the Museum.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 11, 2023

5. 1884 City and Town Hall (southwest corner)

There is an original concrete Lincoln Highway marker on exhibit at the southwest corner of the historic town hall.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 11, 2023

6. 1884 City and Town Hall (northwest elevation)

From the National Register Nomination:   During a ceremony in 1899, the Rochelle Post 546 G.A.R. local Civil War Vets had an 1863 Civil War Cannon and pyramid shaped stack of 20 cannon balls erected in front of the city and town hall. Though the cannon balls are gone, the cannon remains facing the corner of the lot. Since 1968, the building has been cared for by the Flagg Township Historical Society who, under the founding direction of Franklin Kruger, saved it from the wrecking ball by forming the society. It is currently being used as a historical museum housing many articles of Rochelle's past.