Historic Seventh Street
According to legend, the first group of Swedish immigrants arrived in Rockford, on Seventh Street, almost by accident. It was 1852, and the conductor of the train heard there was an epidemic in Chicago, so with orders to go "as far as he could with the train," he continued on to Rockford, where the immigrants disembarked, and settled here in what is now known as Rockford's Mid Town District.
Swedish craftsmen came to Rockford in the 1890s to seek jobs with area manufacturers. Employers seeking skilled workers often met these immigrants as they stepped off the train at Seventh Street. The Lantow building, with 12 efficiency apartments on the second and third floors, probably provided housing for these newcomers, while the commercial businesses on the first floor met their retail needs.
Now you can be a part of this important piece of Rockford history, in this district where old blends with new, and where the artful sculpture of the AMCORE bank headquarters provides rich contrast to the Scandinavian architecture that still remains.
The building at 502 Seventh Street was erected around 1895, with the Lantow Pharmacy occupying the northernmost storefront, approximately 20 feet wide. The Lantow family operated the pharmacy, which expanded to include the two northernmost storefronts, for three generations. Bruce Lantow, grandson of the founder, sold the building around 1995.
The shoe store was located next door to AMCORE Bank’s forerunner, at the south end of the property.
Besides the Lantow pharmacy, a restaurant and later the Blomgren-Jansen Shoe Store (interior shown here) operated in the Lantow building.
