The city council Tuesday by a vote of 8 to 1 denied a request to designate the old courthouse building as a local landmark. Cesar Guerrero, councilman at-large, was the only member on the city council to vote against the denial as he favored tabling the request until the Oct. 3 meeting.
Last month, the Joliet Historic Preservation Commission, an advisory board, voted in favor of bestowing local landmark status to the building in downtown Joliet.
Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant sent a letter to the commission objecting to their landmark designation. The county has already obtained eight bids for demolition and Will County, who owns the building, has allocated approximately $2 million in this year’s budget to pay for demolition.
Currently, the Will County Board is reconsidering a decision made in 2019 to demolish the building. The county board last month by a 10-9 vote approved to further study redevelopment possibilities.
In May, the U.S. Department of the Interior decided to place the building constructed in 1969 on the National Register of Historic Places. Proponents of conserving the building believe it will give them more time to possibly save the structure with redevelopment options as EPA permits will be required prior to demolition and a state historical review of the building will be warranted. But opponents want to tear down the building at 14 W. Jefferson St. and make way for new commercial developments like condos and restaurants in the downtown corridor.
Landmarks Illinois placed the county building on the 2022 list of Most Endangered Historical Places in the state. It received the recognition for the courthouse being one of the only few Brutalist-style buildings in the region.
Brutalist structures have a heavy mass and scale. Their highly sculptural blocky shapes are often stacked together in various ways, creating an unbalanced look.
“The Will County courthouse presents limitless reuse options,” said Nicholas Macris, co-chair of Courthouse Preservation Partners. “Its large footprint and historic function as a multifunctional space provides for immediate adaptability.
“It would be a travesty for the county to repeat past mistakes and not exhaustively explore redevelopment options,” Macris added.
Janet Diaz, who represents District 6 on the Will County Board, said she advocates for the courthouse to be preserved.
“Preservation and adaptive reuse are better for Will County residents,” she said during Tuesday’s council meeting. Diaz cites good paying union jobs as one of the benefits of adaptive reuse of the existing building.
Councilwoman Jan Quillman attempted to table the vote but her motion for denial failed.
“I don’t like the building. It is brutal to me,” said Quillman. “My suggestion is show me the money. I want to table this for two weeks to see if there are any concrete development proposals.”
Councilman Cesar Cardenas, District 4, said tabling to him is a moot point.
“Even if we table it, it is ultimately Will County’s decision,” said Cardenas. “The county can let it sit there for 30 years.”
Councilman at-large Joe Clement also did not want to get involved with another governmental body’s issue.
“I do not want to get the city involved in the county’s issue,” said Clement.
mmayer@thetimesweekly.com – let us know your thoughts about the fate of the old courthouse.
