It's been seven years since the Brunswick XL Zone project was abandoned. In its place a million dollar building, a parking lot, and a road to nowhere.

Much like the Faith Center expansion that was never completed, the Brunswick Zone XL was a victim of The Great Recession.

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Faith Center, 4721 South Main Street, is kind of stuck with what they have, unfinished as it is. The Brunswick Zone XL, 8300 East State Street, however, is still looking for someone to buy the property, nearly 10 years after breaking ground.

According to the Rockford Register Star in 2011, "Brunswick is selling the building as a result of the poor economy, spokesman Dan Kubera said."

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Seven years later, the remnants of a place that "was to house two bowling areas, billiards, a lounge, event and meeting rooms, an arcade and a laser tag arena."

Sounds like fun doesn't it? From the outside, it looks like something that will never get finished and worse yet, appears to be unsellable in its current state.

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It's a shame too, the Brunswick XL Zone would've been great in Rockford. With tourism up, a Dave & Buster's type would be great for those visiting from out of town.

Instead, in its current form, cameras are equipped outside the building to keep vagrants from squatting, there's a fenced-off parking lot, and a road that leads to nowhere, The failed Brunswick XL Zone is a harsh reminder of what The Great Recession did to Rockford.

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Sweet Lenny is the brand manager of 97ZOK and Operations Manager for Townsquare Media Rockford. Catch him afternoons 3 to 7 on 97ZOK. Follow him on TwitterInstagram and like his page on Facebook.

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