Woodstock Old Courthouse Center nearing completion, businesses to open soon

The $22 million renovations done on the 166-year-old Woodstock Old Courthouse Center and Sheriff’s House are almost complete.

Business tenants should be able to start occupying the spaces before August, City Planner Darrell Moore said.

Public House Restaurant will return to the renovated ground floor. MobCraft Brewery from Milwaukee will be opening its first Illinois location there with two bar spaces and an outdoor patio. The brewery will be producing beer in-house at the location.

“We’re hoping to see some Woodstock-specific beers at some time in the future,” Moore said.

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Woodstock City planner Darrell Moore and Mayor Mike Turner talk about the newly remodeled Old Courthouse Center in Woodstock on Thursday, July 13, 2023, during a tour of the building. (Gregory Shaver — gshaver@shawmedia.com/Gregory Shaver Shaw Media )

Events at Ethereal will occupy the second floor as a space to host events and a wedding venue. Craft studio Makity Make from Algonquin will open its second location on the main floor. The Woodstock Chamber of Commerce also will be moving its office to the main floor.

There also is a 101 Studios Incubator that provides space for startup businesses in the building. A vinyl record shop called The Records Department will be in one of the studios, while the other remains vacant.

It’s a gem. It’s a magnificent old building. I think it’s on par with the best of old cities in the U.S. and old cities across the world.”

—  Mike Turner, Woodstock mayor

The city was able to fund the project through a tax increment financing district and state and federal tax credits, Mayor Mike Turner said.

The city of Woodstock took over ownership of the historic building in 2012 after a private owner couldn’t keep up and afford the restoration.

The roof needed to be immediately replaced since it had “massive holes,” Turner said. The roof replacement cost more than $1 million.

The Woodstock Old Courthouse, located at 101 N. Johnson St., had to follow rigorous guidelines by the National Register of Historic Places to keep its historic landmark status.

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Woodstock City planner Darrell Moore and Mayor Mike Turner talk about the newly remodeled Old Courthouse Center in Woodstock on Thursday, July 13, 2023, during a tour of the building. (Gregory Shaver — gshaver@shawmedia.com/Gregory Shaver Shaw Media )

Two entrances into the building are now compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act with the addition of ramps and automatic doors. All electric; plumbing; heating, ventilation and air conditioning; and fire suppression has been updated, Moore said.

“This looks like a very old building, but it functions like a very modern building,” Moore said.

There were many surprises while renovating that extended the costs and timeline of the project, Moore said. Floors were leveled out that required hand-shoveling, and walls were carefully taken down to create larger rooms.

When it came to fixing the dome of the building, workers found more than a foot of bird droppings, so the dome was completely redone.

“The weight of the dome would have eventually overwhelmed the rotting underneath and would have plummeted through,” Turner said. “All four walls would have folded, and we would have ended up with a parking lot.”

One of the bathrooms at the Public House was filled with rubble, which needed to be extracted by hand. Original builders may have filled the room with rocks to support the heavy safe on the floor above, Moore said.

Turner said he heard multiple ideas for the building, including making it a hotel and tearing it down to make a parking lot.

“I think what we created with the investment is something that will truly be impactful,” Turner said.

Restoring the building to its original integrity was a major goal for Moore and Turner. Original metal floors, wooden ceiling medallions and jail cells all remain.

The painting design on the walls and ceiling of the second floor is a recreation of the original from more than 100 years ago.

The city aims to host public tours sometime next month, said Heather Arnold, Woodstock’s marketing and communications director.

“It’s a gem. It’s a magnificent old building,” Turner said. “I think it’s on par with the best of old cities in the U.S. and old cities across the world.”