First Midwest Bank Demolition Underway In Downtown Joliet

JOLIET, IL - A piece of local history, downtown Joliet's First Midwest Bank building, is being knocked down this week to make way for progress. Thanks to the unseasonably balmy weather, demolition crews had made significant progress as of lunch time Tuesday with tearing down the back side of the concrete building. The property at the corner of Ottawa and Washington Streets will be the site of the new 10-story Will County Courthouse. The new government building, which is mostly funded by Will County, aims to open in 2020, provided the project remains on schedule.

Demolition is underway in downtown Joliet.

First Midwest Bank was a downtown fixture in Joliet for decades and it's where many city residents visited to do their banking in the days before ATMs were practically everywhere. In recent years, however, Will County acquired the property and it served as the temporary administrative offices for the Will County Sheriff's Department. The sheriff's office moved into its new Public Safety Building off Laraway Road late last year, leaving the building vacant.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new Will County Courthouse was held in mid-December.

Images via John Ferak, Joliet Patch Editor