Downtown Demo Slated For Spring

JOLIET, IL - Cranes and earth-moving equipment are busy at the old First Midwest Bank property. Crews are tearing apart the old parking lot to make way for the foundation of the new Will County Courthouse at Washington and Ottawa Streets. However, the $215 million courthouse construction project is hardly the only major construction project involving Will County and the city of Joliet getting underway this year. In a matter of weeks, demolition contractors are expected to tear down the government-owned building across the street from the Rialto Square Theatre.
The building at 121 N. Chicago St. had been occupied by employees with the Will County State's Attorney's Office, but its removal is part of Joliet's ambitious plan to reopen and reconfigure South Chicago Street through downtown Joliet.

The Chicago Street project involves relocation of public utilities, parking lots, reconstructing the street and rerouting traffic at the South Chicago Street viaduct. The project probably won't finish until 2019, but it is getting underway this year.

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For decades, traffic has been diverted away from the heart of Joliet's downtown at the Chicago Street viaduct. The reconfiguration of Chicago Street is expected to energize the downtown's business and restaurant district, bringing an influx of motorists from I-80 as well as tourists visiting Joliet as part of the historic Route 66.

So how does the removal of the old government-building at 121 N. Chicago St., factor into the equation?

This building will be torn down later this spring or over the summer.

The city wants to make this area more of a focal gathering area for community events and festivals, city officials said.

On Friday, Joliet Corporation Counsel Marty Shanahan told Patch the building near Chicago and Clinton Streets is on a fast-track for demolition. In the best-case scenario, the government-owned building will be leveled and cleared in time for two important city events, the Joliet Public Library's annual Star Wars Day, on June 2, and the Joliet Chamber's annual New Orleans North, which is scheduled for June 8.

"So it's a tight schedule for demolition," Shanahan remarked.

However, a lot of variables are still at play as far as whether the building will be demolished in May, Shanahan pointed out.

Mayor Bob O'Dekirk said he's enthused the Chicago Street realignment is moving forward this year. Once the building is knocked down and cleared, Joliet's downtown plaza will be similar in size to Chicago's Daley Plaza. O'Dekirk said the city has kicked around the idea of adding a bandshell and possibly adding green space to accommodate the plaza, but that remains to be seen.

Images via John Ferak, Joliet Patch Editor