A contract has been awarded to American Demolition Corporation of Carol Stream for nearly $1.5 million to demolish the former Will County Courthouse in downtown Joliet, county officials said.
The Will County executive office will meet with the company to establish a detailed timeline on the demolition process, said Mike Theodore, a spokesman for County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant.
It is expected the company will begin work in November to strip the interior and remove furniture before starting its demolition work, Theodore said.
The county has been preparing to demolish the four-story, Brutalist-style courthouse, 14 W. Jefferson St., Joliet, since 2019, but there has been a recent push by residents and county board members to preserve the building.
The county board voted in 2019 to demolish the courthouse once it became vacant. County officials said that the courthouse, which was built in 1969, would be too expensive to remodel.
The new Will County Judicial Center opened in November 2020 at 100 W. Jefferson St.
More Top Picks Vision Therapy Vs Eye Exercises At Home Whats The Difference
Last year, the board approved asbestos abatement work, and the board allocated $2.5 million for demolition in its 2023 budget. Earlier this year, the board hired a firm to prepare the scope of services for demolition and sought bids for the work.
Nine firms bid on the project, ranging from $949,611 to $2.54 million, Theodore said.
The state’s attorney’s office reviewed the contract, and it was determined American Demolition Corporation was the lowest qualified bidder, he said.
“Now that a contractor is identified, they will work with our office to establish a more specific timeline,” Theodore said. “Demolition related traffic is expected to be minor over the next two months as the company begins the process of removing building systems and furniture from the building before initiating demolition. Increased demolition activities will likely pick up later this year or early next year.”
The county needs to apply for a routine demolition permit from the city of Joliet and a permit from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, because the courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Theodore said.
Last month, the Joliet City Council voted against designating the building a local historic landmark.
In the last two months, the County Board’s Executive Committee rejected two proposals to create an ad hoc committee to explore alternative uses.
Republican member Dan Butler, from Frankfort, said the county wasted its opportunity to repurpose the courthouse and was frustrated a committee to explore alternative uses was rejected.
“It infuriates me the people’s voice was stifled,” Butler said. “This was a unique situation. We had progressive Democrats, environmentalist Democrats and fiscal conservatives all working together for the same cause. This was the perfect project and it was crushed. They are going to throw away a building like it’s an old swing set that the kids have outgrown.”
Butler said he is concerned the cost of demolition would rise beyond the bid amount because of the size of the building and the cost to haul concrete.
Theodore said the contract is all-inclusive, and no contingencies are listed.
Courthouse Preservation Partnership, a group of residents, architects, developers, historians and preservationists, have asked the board for nearly two years to consider other uses and pointed to other buildings that were redeveloped as examples.
They said the county can take advantage of tax credits available for historic buildings and save money on any redevelopment project. Several developers said they would be interested in redeveloping the courthouse.
Landmarks Illinois, a historic preservation group, also advocated for saving the building.
Quinn Adamowski, regional advocacy manager for Landmarks Illinois, expressed disappointment the contract was awarded. He said there needs to be more conversations involving the executive’s office, Joliet and Joliet Township authorities on potentially reusing the building.
“I find it disheartening, unfortunate and shortsighted,” Adamowski said.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.