On May 11, 1877, while this court house was still under construction, the central dome collapsed without warning killing ten workman and
seriously injuring ten more. Henry L. Gay, the architect, was ruled responsible because of flaws in his building plans. Nevertheless, the building
was completed in 1878.
In the front central circle can be seen the statue of the soldier who now guards the entrance to Memorial Hall on Wyman Street.
Source: Rockford To-day 1904, The Rockford Morning Star, The Clark Company Press, 1903.
