World's 1st Dairy Queen In Joliet Acquired By Historical Museum

JOLIET, IL — The Joliet Area Historical Museum has acquired one of Joliet's long-lost treasures — the world's first Dairy Queen store — at 501 N. Chicago St. The two-story brick building is on the northern edge of downtown near the old Tezak Funeral Home.

"So many people are shocked to hear that the very first Dairy Queen was right here in Joliet, in this humble little building," remarked Greg Peerbolte, the Joliet museum's executive director, during Thursday's Joliet Patch interview at the site.

The building housing the original Dairy Queen dates back to the 1890s.

Dairy Queen opened its first ice cream store here in the summer of 1940; Peerbolte said the museum has not determined exactly when the original Dairy Queen closed, but a city directory listed the property as being a lawn mower store, starting around 1954-1955.

Over the years, the property has also served as a Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealership, a plumbing and heating business and an insurance agency. The second story includes a couple of apartments, where tenants continue to live to this day.

Peerbolte said that Sherb Noble of Kankakee introduced Dairy Queen to Joliet.

When Noble opened his Joliet store in 1940, Dairy Queen primarily had two goals: selling soft-serve ice cream and rapidly expanding their franchise all over the country, Peerbolte explained.

Today, Dairy Queen has more than 7,000 stores across the U.S. and in more than 20 other countries, according to the Dairy Queen website.

Joliet's historical museum has signed a lease with the building's current owner to use the property for the next several years.

"This will be a phased project because we want to be using their intellectual property with their permission and telling the story properly," Peerbolte said of Dairy Queen. "Sherb (Noble) was an early practitioner, he did a taste test in 1938 in Kankakee that drew over 1,000 people."

The name "Dairy Queen," pays tribute to the cow, for producing ice cream, Peerbolte explained.

The museum's first phase of the Joliet Dairy Queen project will involve a walk-up experience that could be ready to unveil in 2024.

Peerbolte envisions that visitors would take photos in front of the original Dairy Queen, which is located along America's historic Route 66.

"We want to restore the exterior signage, and we're looking to put up a wall and use the front area of the building for a display with interpretive signs," he said. "We would like to restore some of the vintage neons, some of the lights."

The exterior of the building would be restored to bring it back to its original luster when the Dairy Queen opened in 1940, Peerbolte said.

"Then, there was World War II and war rationing, so they were limited in what they could produce here," Peerbolte said.

Peerbolte said he's excited about the Joliet museum's plans to restore the world's first Dairy Queen and bring more positive recognition to Joliet.

The museum's main location for visitors and tourists is at 204 N. Ottawa St in downtown Joliet. In addition, the museum offers spring, summer and fall month tours at the world-famous Old Joliet Prison along Collins Street, immortalized by the 1980 musical-comedy movie directed by John Landis, "Blues Brothers."

And this fall, the museum opened its first house museum. The Emma Planinsek Grocery and Meat Market Museum, 1314 Elizabeth St., pays tribute to Joliet's Slovevian heritage. The house museum is across the street from the Rivals Club.

Back at 501 N. Chicago St., Peerbolte said that Dairy Queen's corporate leadership has been fantastic to work with, so far. He's hoping Dairy Queen can market and promote the Joliet museum project as a partnership, given that Dairy Queen is highly regarded worldwide.

"Part 2 is working with the corporation," Peerbolte said. "People love Dairy Queen. The brand will tell you that they have fans, not customers. I like the idea of us doing special events here, having a partnership with Joliet Junior College's culinary arts campus, which is right down the street."

Back in 1940, "they had a simple counter, the machinery to do freeze and dispense. The soft serve equipment took up a lot of space," Peerbolte said.

For Peerbolte, one of the most exciting aspects of acquiring the original Dairy Queen is its location. It was opened along Historic Route 66, and Joliet remains one of the main crossroads for international tourists who tour Route 66 across America every year.

"You're on Chicago Street and this is the old Route 66, 1926 is when it opened," Peerbolte said. "There were no super-highways or interstates, so you have to figure Route 66 factored into their decision."

Today, Joliet has three Dairy Queen locations including one on Washington Street in the Ingalls Park area, one on West Jefferson Street and another on Essington Road. There's a Dairy Queen in Shorewood on West Jefferson Street, and another Dairy Queen is now under construction in the nearby village of Channahon, along Route 6.

Is there any chance Dairy Queen's corporate headquarters would want to reopen 501 N. Chicago St., Joliet Patch inquired?

"We're not looking to open a Dairy Queen," Peerbolte answered. "It's a museum experience. We are not looking to do the traditional Dairy Queen franchise. This is a tribute. The great thing is, we're not going to have to do a lot of restoration work."

Peerbolte said he's optimistic the state of Illinois will take notice of the Dairy Queen project and perhaps provide additional funding.

"We're hopeful that there is additional funding coming down the pike for this project," he said. "We would certainly like to have it done for the centennial of Historic Route 66, which is 2026."

Chronology of Owners and Residents

501 N. Chicago St., (1001 N. Chicago St. pre-1938)

Ca. 1895: Building constructed

1896-1897: Occupied by Stephen Stanfel, laborer

1899-1900: Occupied by Michael Kross, Joseph Panian, Stephen Stanfel
1906-1907: Occupied by Stephen (teamster) and Mary (domestic) Stanfel; Joseph Panian, laborer

1912: Occupied by Anton Kezele, Andrew Dolosic, Fran Juricic

1920: Occupied by Frank Juricic, Joseph Bricki

1930: K&P Grocery on first floor; Frank Juricic (owner) and Stephen Stanfel.

1937: Vacant storefront; upstairs apartments occupied by Frank Juricic (owner); Matthew Juricic; William L. Juricic; Joseph Panion; Stephen Stanfel

1938: 1001 N. Chicago St. becomes 501 N. Chicago St. Store vacant.

Upstairs: Frank and Kathleen Juricic; Matthew and Mary Juricic; Stephen and Rose Juricic

1940 First Dairy Queen opens June 22, 1940 (city directory lists store as vacant). Upstairs apartments occupied by Frank Juricic; Matthew Juricic; Mary Klobucher.

1945: Dairy Queen Store (Sherwood D. Noble); Frank Juricic (owner); Matthew Juricic; Aug Juricic

1954-1955: Stefanech Lawn Mowers Sales and Service; Richard Hanley; Lee E. Jacoby

1960: Stefanech Lawn Mowers Sales and Service; Ivan J. Stefanech; Mrs. Helen E. Roechne

1965: Ivan Stefanech; Dave’s Harley-Davidson Sales; David B. Sciabaras

1969: Bill’s Town and Country Furniture New and Used; Ivan Stefanech; Marcello Alonzon

1975: Standard Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning; Ivan Stefanech (owner); Mrs. Binito Zavala

1982: “Tezak Building”: Standard Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning; both upstairs units vacant

1985: “Tezak Building”: Dependable Rebuilders Contractors; both upstairs units vacant

1990: “Tezak Building”: Will County Potters Guild; Linda Guerrero

2000: Kenneth M. and Rachel Roxberg

2005: Andres Trujillo

2006 Building purchased by John Georgouses from Tezak June 9, 2006

Source: Greg Peerbolte, executive director, Joliet Area Historical Museum