(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Preservationists have lost another round in their bid to save the old Will County Courthouse, after the Joliet City Council voted against making the building a local historic landmark.
Before the vote, resident Mary Beth Gannon was among the public speakers who encouraged council members to save the courthouse, which was built in 1969, because it was made by local tradesmen.
But Council Member Larry Hug said it’s not up to his panel to make that call.
“This is an end run for us to stop the county from managing their own business,” he said.
The council’s rejection removes an obstacle for Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant to move ahead with demolition. She has cited a 2019 unanimous vote by the county board to tear down the courthouse.
There former courthouse has a concrete exterior in the "Brutalist" architectural style that was popular in the 1950s.
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