Board takes aim at old courthouse
Will Co. steps toward demolition while preservationists plan ‘heartbombing’
The Will County Board is moving forward with demolishing the vacant courthouse in downtown Joliet while area preservation groups are working to save the building.
The board voted Thursday on an engineering contract with Kluber, Inc. for $173,750 to prepare the scope of services needed to demolish the four-story concrete building, which was built in 1969. The engineering firm will provide a timeline for demolition, a budget and handle how the courthouse with its unique features, such as a jail in the basement, should come down in the middle of bustling Joliet.
The former courthouse, 14 W. Jefferson St., has sat vacant since November 2020 after the new 10-story courthouse opened nearby, and county board members have been planning for its demolition since 2019.
In November, the board allocated $2.5 million for demolition in its fiscal year 2023 budget. Asbestos abatement work that began in October has recently been completed, according to the county’s executive office.
“The demolition of the vacant courthouse will continue,” County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant said. “As the project moves forward Will County will be working with our partners in Joliet to establish a long-term plan to redevelop the property for continued public use.”
Despite the county’s intentions to raze the building, Landmarks Illinois and the Joliet-based Courthouse Preservation Partnership are hoping they can change officials’ minds.
The two organizations Wednesday issued a request for developers and architectural firms to come up with ideas by March 10 to preserve or repurpose the courthouse.
Within hours, the groups received two promises from firms interested in repurposing the building, said Quinn Adamowski, regional advocacy manager for Landmarks Illinois. The firms are not being compensated for their ideas, he said.
In the request, it asks for developers’ or architects’ visions, potential partners and potential funding sources. Ideas for reusing the building include a boutique hotel or apartments or condominium units located above a first floor dedicated to commercial development, Adamowski said.