The Clock Tower Resort has been a Rockford staple for decades but the now vacant hotel and conference center is getting rid of everything that remains inside before demolition. Moving trucks filled the parking lots where the winning bidders came to pick up whatever is left in the rooms of the once iconic hotel.



“There’s a lot of stuff here that’s in real good shape,” said bidder Lorenzo Reyes.



“You could take the tub,” said bidder Corinne Boatman. “You could take the toilet, the dressers, all the bedding. The light fixtures, you can take everything.”



Boatman was only looking for a king sized bed but was happy to find out everything in the room is included. Reyes is using this as an opportunity to help families in need.



“I was able to find some families that could use this stuff,” said Reyes. “So, I did work out a trade with them. ‘You know if you can help me move this stuff, you can have some of it and I can take what I need for the other places.'”



He says he was sad when he first heard the Clock Tower was in decline.



“I drive through this area a lot, and when I found out they were having problems, I was really hoping they salvaged it. But it’s difficult, it’s not an easy task.”



But now that the Clock Tower era is over, Boatman hopes to see something productive done with the property. Even if it means a complete change in scenery.



“I think when it’s finally gone, it’s gonna be a little strange. Rockford gets a bad name in a lot of ways for a lot of negative things. I think having something positive here would be beneficial in many ways to the community and economically as well.”

