Route 66 Museum Joliet June 6, 2025

Pete Terry and I Getting Our Kicks On Route 66 - the museum in downtown Joliet. Pete and I have been friends since Kindergarten in Mount Greenwood.

Pete and I and the Blues Brothers.

The Court House building was new when I worked there from 1973 until 1977.  It was built in 1969 and torn down in 2019.  Hard to believe. It was designed in the "Brutalist" school of architecture and was not well loved.

The demolition of the former Will County Courthouse in Joliet, Illinois, was completed in early 2024. The four-story concrete building, constructed in 1969, was demolished after the Will County Board voted to demolish it in 2019, citing the high cost of renovation. American Demolition Corporation of Carol Stream was awarded a nearly $1.5 million contract to demolish the building. 

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

• Decision to Demolish: The Will County Board decided to demolish the building in 2019 after concluding that renovations would be too expensive. 
• Preservation Efforts: Local residents, developers, and preservation groups attempted to save and repurpose the courthouse, but these efforts were unsuccessful. 
• Demolition Timeline: Demolition work began in late 2023 and was completed in early 2024. 
• Future of the Site: The Will County Board is considering various options for the future use of the land, including creating a green space or other public amenities. 
• Donated Land: The land where the courthouse was located was originally donated with the stipulation that it remain a public use. 
• Budget: The demolition project was budgeted at nearly $1.5 million. 

The Civil War monument predates the Courthouse building and survives it.  The Court House site is now a grassy field, with a new court House built next to it.

The City is rebuilding the downtown roads.  When I first went to work there in 1973 the one way roads were jam packed.  Two years later Sears moved out and you could shoot a cannon downtown. They they rebuilt the roads into a mall.  Then they later demolished the mall.  Now they are rebuilding the street again. They are also building a new downtown park across the street from the Rialto Buildiing.

Craig and Pete in the lobby of the Rialto Theater. This enormous theater was saved in the late 1970's. Before government bought the building we hired an expert to evaluate the building.   We walked together through the ceiling. The beautiful ceiling was suspended by mamy large steel cables.  Our expert had never seen anything like it - and neither had we.  But it is still working and has not fallen down - yet.  

The library building is one hundred years old. They built a much later addition, and it is a very well done building.

Route 66 crosses Lincoln Highway in Joliet. The original museum celebrated both roads. They seem to have forgotten the Lincoln Highway, which was the first major transcontinental railroad.

The Lincoln Highway was the first transcontinental highway in the United States, spanning over 3,000 miles from New York City to San Francisco. Dedicated in 1913, it paved the way for improved road construction and the development of the US highway system. The highway was a vision of visionaries who recognized the need for a cross-country route. 

Here's a more detailed look:

• Early Vision:

  Carl Fisher, along with Henry B. Joy and others, envisioned a coast-to-coast road built with concrete to withstand the rigors of travel. 
• Naming and Inspiration:

  The highway was named after President Abraham Lincoln as a patriotic tribute. 
• "Seedling" Miles:

  The Lincoln Highway Association initially focused on demonstrating the feasibility of improved roads by installing "seedling" sections in various states. 
• Route and Impact:

  The Lincoln Highway passed through 13 states and influenced the development of other named highways and the eventual creation of the U.S. numbered route system. 
• Modern Relevance:

  While the original Lincoln Highway has been incorporated into other highways, particularly U.S. 30, the Lincoln Highway Association continues to preserve and celebrate its legacy. 

The YMCA building is almost one hundred years old.  I lived here for four months when I first took the job with Will County.

Public Housing on the east side of Joliet.  Very nice.

The old prison on the east side of Joliet.

The little town of Elwood has a nice Route 66 display.  The little town used to have a sign that said "Welcome To Elwood"  and on the back of the sign it said "Thanks for Coming to Elwood".  The town is prosperous now, with an enormous industrial park.

In the mid 90's I worked on the disposal of the Joliet Arsenal, which was an enormous property that was used for ordinance production in World War II. The property ended us in five uses - Army Training, two huge industrail parks, a landfill, the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, and the Medewin National Tallgrass Prairie.

I interviewed to be the Director of the Industrial Parks. I asked if they had a political candidate.  No, they said, you would be great.  I went to the interview with a number of maps and a detailed proposal on how to develop the property.  The interview lasted 9 minutes with no questions, so I knew someone else got it. I gave the committee my plans and told them to feel free to use them.

The next day I found out that the Governors office had called the Mayors, and told them they could hire anyone they wanted to, but it they wanted the state money for the development of the parks they had better hire the Governors canididate.  Can blame them for that. The industr4ial parks are huge and filled with many major industrial buildings 

Disconcerting seeing a tuck coming at you.  It was being towed.