The former Will County Courthouse in Joliet is being demolished. As the statewide organization dedicated to ensuring places like the courthouse are not torn down, to say we are disappointed in this outcome would be an understatement.
With the demise of the courthouse, we are not just losing another historic building in Illinois. Will County taxpayers are losing out on an indisputable economic opportunity, one that would have also benefited the environment at a critical time.
The fateful decision to demolish the former courthouse, built in 1969 in a highly visible part of downtown Joliet, was made back in April 2019. The decision was not made with the thoughtful, thorough and unconventional approach it demanded, but was based on one group’s opinion about aesthetics.
Arguing the former courthouse is not aesthetically pleasing is an easy one to make — the building was once dubbed “the world’s ugliest courthouse,” after all. But it also shirks the responsibility of our government officials to make smart and, when necessary, creative decisions with our tax dollars.
Local advocates through the Courthouse Preservation Partnership and Landmarks Illinois worked over the past two years to provide reasoned and factual responses so that the Will County Board could reconsider what was ultimately a misinformed decision to demolish the building.
We responded to each piece of misinformation and anti-preservation claim (the building was in bad condition; rehabilitation costs were too high; there was a lack of developer interest). We went so far as to conduct a private Request for Expressions of Interest to prove that there was reuse interest from the developers, which would have benefited Will County taxpayers and the downtown economy.
All information gleaned during this process showed the building is structurally sound, highly adaptable and reusable. It also proved there was an abundance of interest within the developer community to invest private funds into the unique space.
Redevelopment was the best option, for environment and the economy
Reusing the former Will County Courthouse wouldn’t have just made sense economically, but should have been an obvious choice following the hottest year on record. Constructing and operating buildings are the greatest source of global carbon emissions, about 42%, which contribute to a warming climate.
A May 2021 article by internationally acclaimed Chicago-based architect Jeanne Gang argued that we should revalue late-20th century concrete buildings, a style referred to as Brutalism. Why something so specific? Because concrete buildings embody a significant amount of the carbon used to construct them within their walls. Preserving these buildings prevents compounding the ongoing carbon problem.
Despite all this, a truly one-of-a-kind building is being torn down in Will County. In the end, the lesson is obvious: With a few exceptions, when those who control the levers of power want to tear something down, they tear it down. Even when the evidence overwhelmingly suggests the reasoning is flawed and that redevelopment is the best option.
We have seen this lesson play out in other places in Illinois, most recently in 2023 with the demolition of the Arcade Building in Pekin and the Rock Island County Courthouse in Rock Island. In each case, governments chose not to see preservation as a solution and tool for community and economic development because it did not support their case and desire for demolition.
We need to do better. We must demand that our elected representatives do better to question convention and embrace creative, innovative ideas, like preserving our built environment, to ensure our cities have a future.
Bonnie McDonald is president and CEO of Landmarks Illinois. Quinn Adamowski is regional advocacy manager of Landmarks Illinois.
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