Outdoor City Market
The 12,000 sf steel-framed, open air canopy structure and site redevelopment of city of Rockford Parking Lot T is a prominent step forward for the ever expanding Rockford City Market and the downtown Rockford experience. Larson & Darby Group worked closely with city of Rockford engineers, the Rock River Development Partnership, and neighborhood residents to redevelop the site of a dilapidated parking deck into a community asset, adding value to the neighborhood and increasing developmental interest in the downtown core. Great care was taken throughout the design process to integrate comments and concerns from the community into a design that was flexible enough to serve everyone’s needs. The simplicity of the design and careful selection of materials allows the structure to fit in with its surrounding historic district while providing maximum flexibility for the many proposed functions. Among other things, the site primarily serves as home for the weekly, seasonal Rockford City, a special events venue, and parking shelter for nearby office buildings.
Indoor City Market
Capitalizing on the success of the seasonal outdoor city market, Larson & Darby Group worked with the City of Rockford, in collaboration with the Rock River Development Partnership – a local non-profit that operates the Rockford Outdoor City Market – in designing an indoor, year-round market featuring a full commercial kitchen that is available for use by the various market vendors and others in need of commercial kitchen space. Located adjacent to the outdoor market site, the indoor market has proven to revitalize a cluster of existing historic structures into a vibrant indoor venue for local growers, retailers, bakers, and other vendors and entertainment. The development also houses banquet and conference space that provides opportunities for various community events and activities. Our design renovates existing, under-utilized downtown buildings and further enhances the city’s center, continuing the catalytic growth of local businesses and downtown development.
This project (indoor city market) is the recipient of a 2022 Landmarks Illinois Richard Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Adaptive Reuse.
