Will County Courthouse and Joliet, Illinois
Posted by: 
cldisme
N 41° 31.439 W 088° 04.880
16T E 409781 N 4597491
A pair of panoramic photos of Joliet, Illinois from 1914 and 2010.
Waymark Code: WMA59T
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 11/19/2010
Views: 9
Taken from the railroad passenger platform, these photos demonstrate the changes downtown Joliet, Illinois has taken over the past century.
The
original photo from the Library of Congress archives shows the third Will County Courthouse constructed in 1875 and at its southeast corner, the Civil War Memorial. On the right hand side of the photo is the old County Jail. In the center is the Morris Building.
The third courthouse was demolished in the mid-1960s and replaced with the Brutalist-style fourth Will County Courthouse. The Civil War Memorial was moved to the north side of the new courthouse to be closer to the main entrance. The brick pavers leading up to the main entrance are arranged to display the footprint of the third courthouse, so it still remains in spirit if not in the photo.
The old County Jail was demolished in favor of parking for both the courthouse and the nearby Joliet Union Train Station. The Morris Building remains and is used mostly by local law firms due to its proximity to the courthouse.