An Important Piece of Rockford Restaurant History Is Up For Sale

Der Rathskeller was an important piece of Rockford's restaurant scene for decades, and now you have the chance to own the most noticeable piece of its history.

Der Rathskeller Memories

In 1931 Der Rathskeller restaurant opened at 1132 Auburn St. in Rockford and delighted German food-loving taste buds for 8 decades until the owners sold the business in 2019. Some Rockfordians flocked to Der Rathskeller for its delicious sausage and kraut, while others simply enjoyed drinking a pint in their beautiful beer garden. Either way, the closing of Der Rathskeller broke a lot of hearts when it closed permanently, and now some of those hearts are breaking again. Here's why...

The sign pictured above was removed from the building in 2019 when new owners took control of the building, and now it is up for sale at Roscoe Woodstock Antique Mall in Woodstock, Illinois.

Roscoe Woodstock Antique Mall owner Ted London recently told the Rockford Register Star;

We purchased it out of the back room of the Rathskeller from the guy that most recently bought the restaurant,.

He had taken all of the glass off so it wouldn’t get broken. We had to have a neon guy rebuild it all, which is not cheap.

So, now for the big question; how much will it cost to own an iconic piece of Rockford history?

$20,000!

Holy smokes! Yes, the sign is super cool and everything on it works, but is it worth $20,000? I guess that's up to you. You will get a lot of sign for your bucks; the whole thing measures 8 feet 4 inches wide and 4 feet two inches tall.

What's Next for the Former Der Rathskeller Building?

Back in August of 2022 news broke that Little Nick's BBQ was trying to purchase and expand into the former Der Rathskeller building, but it looks like that deal might have fallen flat. The building is still for sale for $299,000, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see.