Nonprofit says old Will County Courthouse is among state’s ‘endangered historic places’

A nonprofit organization has included the old Will County Courthouse on its 2022 list of the “most endangered historic places in Illinois.”

Landmarks Illinois said in a news release that the listing is a targeted call to action for historic and culturally significant sites throughout the state that face serious risk of demolition or are seeing significant neglect.

The Will County Board passed a resolution in support of demolishing the old courthouse in 2019.

The nonprofit said the old courthouse was at risk of demolition “due to Will County’s current lack of interest to explore reuse opportunities for the architecturally significant but vacant structure.”

“These endangered sites all have historic, cultural and economic value, and we want their preservation to serve as catalysts for hope and positive change,” Bonnie McDonald, president and CEO of Landmarks Illinois, said in a statement. “Demolishing or improperly redeveloping them would rob current and future generations of the chance to experience them and learn about their unique stories.”

But county officials stressed this listing has no legal effect on the county’s efforts toward demolition.

Will County Board Speaker Mimi Cowan, D-Naperville, and Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, D-Shorewood, said in a joint statement that while they “welcome engagement on the future of the property, opportunities for redevelopment of the existing structure are limited by court order. The county is unable to convey this property to private developers due to owning it under trust as public ground for public use.”

The nonprofit’s announcement also comes as local advocates have been trying to convince Will County Board members to redevelop the building.

Hudson Hollister, one of the more vocal advocates for redevelopment, told board members earlier this month about a preliminary opinion from the State Historic Preservation Office that said the old courthouse meets the criteria for being listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The opinion stated the property “appears to retain enough integrity and would be locally significant as a good example of Brutalist architecture.” But the opinion doesn’t guarantee an eventual listing and cannot be “construed as a determination of eligibility” the preservation office’s opinion said.

Hollister said such a designation could necessitate state approval before the county proceeds with demolition of the courthouse.

Mary Tatroe, civil division chief of the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office, said earlier this month her office was looking into what the opinion meant for the future of the building, but so far it hasn’t changed the county’s process. Officials also have said the county has yet to receive any official notice that a historic landmark designation is being considered.

Board members are awaiting updated cost estimates for demolishing the courthouse and abating asbestos in the building. Previous estimates pegged demolition at $1.7 million and abatement at about $500,000, but an official recently called those numbers “dated.”

Officials also have warned that continuing to have the building sit vacant is costing money and is attracting vandalism.

Michael Theodore, a spokesman for the Will County Executive’s Office, said the county, the city of Joliet and ComEd are in negotiations about where to move a substation in the courthouse’s lower level. The substation provides power to some businesses in downtown Joliet.

Theodore said the county is preparing bid requests for the abatement portion of the project.