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Demolition work will continue at the former Will County Courthouse in downtown Joliet after a last-ditch effort to halt demolition for 90 days failed Tuesday, ending a two-year-long effort to preserve the 1969 Brutalist-style building.
Work to demolish the courthouse, 14 W. Jefferson St., began in December, but some board members wanted to stop the process so they could potentially save the building and continue to review contracts and permits.
Board members in favor of halting demolition said they didn’t feel they were given enough information about the contracts and questioned the total cost to demolish the four-story structure. They also wanted to know more information about what condition the building was in and why renovating it wasn’t a viable option.
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A special meeting to vote on halting further demolition was supposed to be held last week, but was canceled after not enough board members attended.
Board members tried to stop demolition again Tuesday, and the effort failed by a 12-4 vote.
Mike Mahoney, chief of staff for Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, said demolition is already underway and the building is no longer structurally sound, so stopping any work would be a financial liability for the county.
“It is beyond repair, full stop,” Mahoney said.
If the county board opted to suspend work, the demolition company could adjust its contract, but the effect of that is unknown, Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Tatroe said.
Joliet Mayor Terry D’Arcy wrote to the county Tuesday, saying if demolition were delayed, the city of Joliet would declare the building a public nuisance and take charge to complete the demolition process.
During public comment, Joliet resident Saul Brass told the county board pausing demolition would be a tremendous cost to taxpayers while Nick Macris, a founding member of Courthouse Preservation Partnership, urged the board to give the building one last chance.
Mahoney said the contract for nearly $1.5 million to American Demolition Corporation of Carol Stream included all the demolition work, and no information has been withheld from the county board.
The contractor was the lowest qualified bidder, and the contracts and bids were reviewed by the county’s facilities department and the state’s attorney’s office, he said, noting all documents are publicly available online.
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Members of a preservation group who advocated for remodeling the building had said demolition work could run $6 million, but nine bids that came in ranged from $949,611 to $2.5 million, Mahoney said. Contractors are recycling various materials from the courthouse to take to a salvage yard, he said.
Daily Southtown
The county budgeted $2.5 million for demolition in its fiscal year 2023 budget.
Board member Jackie Traynere, the Democratic Leader from Bolingbrook, said she voted in favor of demolition because it was the responsible vote. However, she said the courthouse was neglected over the years, and she didn’t understand the animosity people had toward it.
“I’m very sad to see this building go down,” Traynere said.
Board member Janet Diaz, a Democrat from Joliet, said she felt she did everything she could to preserve the courthouse, which is in her district.
“I put my heart and neck out there because that’s why I was elected,” said Diaz, who voted to halt demolition.
Demolition work is expected to continue for the next few months with site restoration starting in April and expected to be completed by the end of May or early June, officials said.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter.