Rockford’s Davis Park to get $12M renovation with new amenities

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — A $12 million renovation project to transform Rockford’s Davis Park is soon to get underway.

“The current plans, really started to get underway back in 2016, 2017. We’re ready to go. Right before the pandemic we took a long pause and now the city is in the position to be out, to bid for construction, with a planned late June construction start and a 12-month construction timeframe,” said GoRockford President and CEO John Groh.

The renovations will bring a playground, skatepark, and a small stage to Davis Park, which sits along the banks of the Rock River in downtown Rockford.

The large field has been host to 4th of July fireworks viewing events, Friday Night Flix, and large concerts during the era of the city’s On the Waterfront festival.

“The new plans call for it to be a much more active park on a daily, weekly basis than it had been in its previous iteration, which was much more special event-based or festival-based,” Groh said.

The park sits on nearly 10 acres, something the city knows will bring flexibility in terms of events.

“The skate park is on the south side of the railroad trestle. The playground is on the north side. The stage can be used in a couple of configurations for small concert experiences or larger concert experiences. It’s meant to be a really flexible space with a lot of different uses,” Groh explained.

Groh said he hopes the park can be used year-round.

“The community [will] have this destination-level park with this amazing playground, the skate park, the stage, and many future phases, including some water features, and in the winter, an ice rink or an ice ribbon,” he said.

The city says construction should be completed by June 2026.