The Faust Landmark, formerly known as the Faust Hotel (or Hotel Faust) and Tebala Towers, is located on East State Street, is one of the largest buildings in downtown Rockford,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It currently serves persons 55 years and older. Built in 1929 as a hotel, it was sold to the

Shriners Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic body, Masonic society. Founded in 1872 in New York City, it is headquartered in Tampa, Florida, and has over ...

who renamed it ''Tebala Towers''. It was renamed to its current name when sold by the Shriners and was renovated into one and two bedroom efficiency apartments.

Description

Historic Landmark A historic site or heritage site is an official location where pieces of political, military, cultural, or social history have been preserved due to their cultural heritage value. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have been rec ...

, the ''Faust'' is 15 stories tall (186 ft., 57 m) and is capped by a flagpole over the penthouse with a large

U.S. flag The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen horizontal stripes, alternating red and white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-point ...

that flies 24 hours a day. The "Faust" is still Rockford's tallest building. Before 1980 the hotel was also adorned with a set of large red neon letters in a double row that proclaimed ''Faust Hotel'' and later, ''Tebala Towers'' on the north top side and the east top side of the building. In the early 1980s a fierce windstorm knocked down some of the letters, damaging the building and putting pedestrians & residents at risk. All of these letters were taken down shortly after this incident. Plans to place a large replica of a ' Fez' Cap over the penthouse, at the base of the flagpole, were abandoned as impractical.

History

At the end of World War II, during VJ day, the center for much of the celebration in Rockford took place in the area of the Faust hotel and the nearby Midway theater. In its heyday, the ''Faust'' was known as the premier hotel for Rockford, hosting such dignitaries as President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

and the 1960 Democratic Presidential candidate

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

, as well as one of the Kings of

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

during a visit to the Swedish community located in Rockford.

Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland Prince Bertil of Sweden, Duke of Halland (Bertil Gustaf Oskar Carl Eugén; 28 February 1912 – 5 January 1997), was a member of the Swedish royal family. He was the third son of King Gustaf VI Adolf and his first wife, Princess Margaret of Conn ...

, third son of

Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden Gustaf VI Adolf (Oscar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustaf Adolf; 11 November 1882 – 15 September 1973) was King of Sweden from 29 October 1950 until his death in 1973. He was the eldest son of Gustaf V and his wife, Victoria of Baden. Before Gustaf A ...

, was the guest of honor at a banquet held at the Faust Hotel in 1938. His younger brother Prince

Carl Johan Bernadotte Carl Johan Arthur, Prince Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg, (31 October 1916 – 5 May 2012) was the fourth son and fifth and youngest child of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife, Princess Margaret of Connaught. Bernadotte was born a ...

Count Wisborg often stayed at the hotel during business trips in his involvement with the

Sundstrand Corporation Sundstrand Corporation was founded in 1926 as a merger of two companies started by Swedish immigrants: the Rockford Tool Company and the Rockford Milling Machine Company in Rockford, Illinois. It was known as Sundstrand Machine Tool Company until ...

, but was embarrassed by a ''Bernadotte Suite'' decorated for him with royal crowns and the Swedish colors of blue and yellow.

in ''Det var en gång ...'' (memoirs) p. 174

Attribution

The Faust was named for Levin Faust, a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

immigrant and industrialist who came to Rockford in the late 19th century and also helped organize what is now known as the

Rockford Park District The Rockford Park District was formed in 1909 and is governed by an elected five-member board of commissioners who serve six-year terms without compensation. It is the third largest municipal park system in Illinois, serving the communities of Ro ...

References

External links

* {{coord, 42.2670, -89.0848, type:landmark_region:US-IL, display=title Hotels in Illinois Buildings and structures in Rockford, Illinois Hotel buildings completed in 1929 Shriners