When Joliet Picked Up Liebermann's Jewelers: Rare Photos

JOLIET, IL - Last week's debut of a new Joliet Patch weekend feature showcasing Joliet area historical landmarks, events or structures was a success. Several thousand Patch readers carved out a few minutes of their time to check out our new series. We kicked it off with several rare black and white photos that were taken behind the 30-foot-tall concrete walls at the Stateville Correctional Center on Route 53. This week's installment turns to downtown Joliet.

The Joliet Area Historical Museum's Heather Bigeck, the museum's collections and exhibits manager, tracked down these old photos from when the Liebermann's Jewelers building was literally picked up off the ground and carried down the street to its current location, 81 North Ottawa Street.

The building was moved in the late 1970s. The structure dates back to the late 1880s.

The timing of our historical photos series could not be better with this one. The Tomczak Law Group, headed by attorney Jeff Tomczak, is in the process of moving into the building in the coming weeks.

As for Tomczak, he bought the former Liebermann's building last year. His law firm currently rents space inside the Two Rialto Square Building next to the Rialto theater on Chicago Street. (In addition to staying Patched in here on Facebook, did you know that you can also get Joliet news delivered straight to your inbox for free? Sign up for our free daily newsletter and our breaking news alerts at Joliet Patch.

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All images used in this article are used courtesy of the Joliet Area Historical Museum's archives.