Old St. Mary's Carmelite: Multi-Million Dollar Facelift, New Business

JOLIET, IL — After sitting empty for the past 30 years and going through several different owners, downtown Joliet's old St. Mary Carmelite Catholic Church is undergoing a massive exterior facelift, thanks to its new owners, Joe and Jennifer Matise of Tinley Park.

By August 2024, they plan to open The Matise, a historic entertainment venue along North Ottawa Street that will focus on weddings, corporate events, fund-raisers, proms and more. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, The Matise will offer live music.

"These will be national touring acts," explained Joe Matise during Saturday's interview with Joliet Patch's editor. "Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays will be weddings and events. We would be open year-round."

For weddings, The Matise will seat up to 215 guests. Live music shows and entertainment will take place near the former church rectory.

The Matise can accommodate about 350 guests for its music shows. Their business website describes The Matise as "A Historic Event Venue."

"Welcome to The Matise - the perfect backdrop for your special event. Our historic wedding and event venue, located just south of Chicago, IL, offers a unique and unforgettable experience for all. Our team of dedicated professionals are here to provide you with full-service, custom event planning, ensuring that every detail is taken care of so, you can relax and enjoy your celebration."

The Tinley Park couple said the former rectory area will offer a nice outdoor space for cocktail hours, a beer garden and multiple purpose events such as acoustic guitar shows.

"It will be all different genres. We would like to work with the city of Joliet if they're looking to host events," Joe Matise said.

The Matises hired Filloto Roofing for the major undertaking, the roof replacement project. The exterior remodeling includes building scaffolding to repair the church's steeple.

"We are bringing the steeple back to its original glory," Joe Matise said.

"It's all new H.V.A.C.," Joe Matise explained. "All new electrical, all new plumbing."

His wife, Jennifer, said, "we're building a new staircase, adding new windows."

The Joliet City Center Partnership provided a $100,000 grant to help defray the costs for the roof replacement at 113 N. Ottawa St. City Center Partnership often provides financial incentives on major redevelopment projects that can be an asset for Joliet's downtown and generate more visitors to the area.

City Partnership Executive Director Priscilla Cordero told Joliet Patch The Matise is a multi-million dollar project that will become an enormous positive attractive for Joliet's downtown, particularly since it's along Joliet's historic Route 66 corridor.

Joe and Jennifer Matise said the Joliet City Center Partnership "has been phenomenal, and the city of Joliet has been a wonderful place for us to start our business. We're excited to be in Joliet. They're welcoming and supportive ... It's a great time to be in Joliet."

The husband and wife team said they plan to have The Matise ready to open for business in August 2024. They took ownership of the property in September 2022.

The old St. Mary's Carmelite Church dates back to around 1881. It was designed by the same architect, Patrick Keely, who built Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago.

The church has remained closed since the early 1990s when the Diocese of Joliet closed St. Mary's Carmelite.

"This building itself cannot be recreated," Jennifer Matise said. "We looked in many different cities at many different types of buildings."

Being that St. Mary's Carmelite Church is listed on the Joliet Register of Historic Places, that it's along the historic Route 66 corridor, made for the perfect recipe in terms of purchasing the property, Joe Matise explained.

Joe Matise has also worked in the wedding industry for more than 20 years.

To learn more, visit the website for The Matise.