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Rockford Illinois elite were attracted to an area just north of the city.

Jacoby Heights History

In the early 1900s, Charles W. Brown, a successful Illinois clothier, financed the building of three stately mansions along the Rock River, just south of the creek named Spring Creek and on the road later named for the creek. The homes at 1 (south), 3 and 6 Jacoby Place, one for each of his three daughters, were built next to the only previous home in the area, the L.C. Jacoby mansion. After that, things started happening….

Soldiers from Camp Grant on horses resting by the Needham property in the Jacoby neighborhood in 1916. This photo looking west across the Rock River shows the “High Bridge,” later replaced by the Auburn Street bridge. Some early spring melts produced thick ice jams, and neighborhood men were called in to help “hold up the bridge” to keep the ice from damaging it. Intrigued by the commotion are young Albert Needham and his cousin on his father’s side, Katherine Needham.

The Brewery

1 Jacoby Place (South)
Built as a brewery in 1860, this property later was converted to a home by the Shoudy family and then housed the quickly expanding Keith Country Day School.

Williams Home

1 Jacoby Place (North)
Henry & Francis (Brown) Williams home. Hank and a few others started the Rockford Park District. He was quite a character….

L.C. Jacoby Home

2 Jacoby Place
Originally a North 2nd Street address, this was the first home built in what is now the Jacoby Heights neighborhood and was added to the National Historic Registry by world renown rock legend Rick (& Karen) Nielsen.

Green Home

3 Jacoby Place
Original home of Walter & Alice (Brown) Green. Walter’s life was not typical of the refined elite. A Brown marries a Green and become colorful neighbors.

Hicks Home

4 Jacoby Place
Senator Herbert and Florance Hicks built this “cottage” and started to make plans for building a larger home. Sadly, they were never able to complete these plans.

Needham Home

6 Jacoby Place
Samuel & Elizabeth (Brown) Needham home. 4 generations of the Needham family lived continuously in the neighborhood.

Other Notable Homes

Jacoby Place was not the only neighborhood street to house historic homes. The neighborhood is bordered by Parkview Avenue on the east, Spring Creek Road on the north, N. 2nd Street on the west and Sinnissippi Park on the south.