After unaccounted for delays, I've reached the last installment of consolidating our experiences with exploring the 102 active courthouses in Illinois. (More precisely, we only saw 101 as the Franklin County Courthouse in Benton was razed the week before we got there, and we have not yet gone back to Benton to see the new building that is now open.) We saw the courthouses in an order dictated by the whim of geography and where we happened to be camping, so they were encountered in no discernible order.
In this series of blogs, I have grouped them according to architectural style, in rough groupings based on rather idiosyncratic divisions of style. Now that I'm almost done, I think an organization of the buildings based on year of construction, starting with the oldest in Hennepin (Putnam County) running up to Joliet (Will County)--or eventually Benton (Franklin County). In my style categories, I attempted to rank order the buildings by quality; but I discovered that except for a few notable cases of really horrible buildings (yes, I'm looking at you Quincy and Springfield) my assessment was constantly shifting.
At any rate, here is the final collection of buildings. As much of a surprise to me as to anyone, these modern buildings, for the most part, represent my favorite sub-collection of the courthouses. I even am risking being ostracized by everyone in Belleville by proudly asserting that I quite like the "new" St Clair County Courthouse, which I can't actually recall anyone ever saying anything good about.
So with a sense of sadness and also of relief, here's the end of this series of blogs covering our courthouse adventure. I hope that at last one person found some interest in it.
But before the courthouses, quick overview of modern architecture style, which has been hinted at in previous posts. The Getty Museum lists five key hallmarks of modern architecture:
- New Building Materials. Traditional architecture relied primarily on wood, brick and stone. Scientific developments of the Twentieth Century allowed the use of new materials such as mass-produced glass, steel, reinforced concrete, and other materials that allowed architects to experiments with spaces and textures previously impossible.
- Engineering advancements allowed buildings to be less dependent on thick walls. Buildings could grow taller and have bigger footprints with fewer interior walls, enormous expanses of glass revolutionized the use of light and space.
- Form Follows Function. Buildings were designed abandoning the idea of adornment or reference to historical styles. It no longer made sense to design a school building, for example, to look like a Grecian temple. As a result, modern buildings typically have smooth, sleek surfaces without decoration, but rather try to highlight the functionality of the building.
- Comfort and Health. Oddly, the idea that a building should be comfortable is actually quite recent. Modern buildings have features that should make inhabitants more comfortable, with more light, bigger rooms, spaces that accommodate human activities, and enhanced accessibility.
- Social Progress. Modern architecture generally seeks to advance equality for all rather than create a sense of privilege or class.
So here are the Illinois courthouses that fall roughly into this category.
Iroquois County Courthouse
Watseka, Illinois
Visited: January 4, 2021
Erected: 1966
Architects: Graham Anderson Probst and White
This is one of the most memorable and unique of courthouses in the state. It is constructed entirely of concrete with only the two-story entryway made of darkened glass. Except for the entry, there are very few windows. Its distinctive facade rely created a feeling that this building is "significant."
In general, I'm in favor of the courthouse being located centrally, close to the heart of a community. In that respect, the courthouse in Watseka fails as this building sits quite out of town in a large open field, facing a residential subdivision. Somehow that unlikely setting suits this building. My desire to enter a building (we couldn't get into any courthouses because of pandemic restrictions) was probably strongest here than in any other location.
Interestingly, the land on which the courthouse sits and the money to build it was donated entirely from the estate of an Iroquois County resident, Mrs. Kathleen Clifton, making it the only courthouse in the United States built entirely with private funds.
Watseka is like so many medium Illinois towns. The downtown commercial district is largely deserted, with an assortment of resale shops, nail salons, and small offices taking up the spaces that were at one time a thriving retail district.
The former 1866 Courthouse still stands and currently is used as a historical museum.
Iroquois County was named for the Iroquois, a confederation of six Native American Peoples (the Mohawk, Oneida, Seneca, Onandaga, Cayuga, and Tuscarora) who settled along the Hudson River Valley in New York.
Lake County Courthouse
Waukegan, Illinois
Visited: November 1, 2020
Erected 1968
Architects: Daniel and Robinson
The Lake County Courthouse is a sprawling complex with several buildings arranged across several blocks in downtown Waukegan. This high tower of brick, stone, and glass, is the most striking section of the buildings. The tall tower is marked by horizontal bands of glass inset into brick walls. There is a very pleasing "crown" that extends slightly past the building's facade and is pierced with narrow vertical windows. A lower building without much to distinguish it extends to the south.
Maybe it is because these were the "new" buildings when I was a child first paying attention to what buildings looked like but I really love this kind of structure. The lack of columns on the corners gives it a lightness and floating feeling that just makes me happy. The buff colored stone gives it some warmth that is sometimes lacking in concrete structures.
Waukegan itself is a large city (tenth largest in the state) that unfortunately has witnessed a history of challenges. It developed in the 19th Century quite independently of Chicago as a center of intense industrial activity, attracting immigrants from northern Europe of great diversity. It developed a strong labor identity, but then also some of the problems inherent in organized crime. It also had a large influx of African Americans and was the site of some violent racial unrest.
Lake County is named for Lake Michigan on which it is located.
Will County Courthouse
Joliet, Illinois
Visited: February 7, 2021
Built: 2020
Architects: Wright and Co.
The Will County Courthouse is among the larges we encountered and is really attractive. The bulk of it is a multi-story tower faced entirely with glass, arranged in irregular-sized large panes. It has a lower glass entry pavilion ad a three story segment, also glass extending to the right of the entrance. It presents a striking presence appropriate to civic government from the street.
It sits right ext to the 1968 Will County Courthouse, which I believe is slated for demolition. It isn't entirely clear what the problem with the former building is, other than being generally found unattractive. I imagine that she had something to do with it as the new building houses 38 courtrooms, which certainly could not fit in the old building. The former courthouse is concrete in the brutalist style which so many people find so easy to detest. Personally, I rather like the former building. To be fair, in addition to being to small, it's possible that like so many buildings of this style, constructing everything of poured concrete might have made it unable to adapt to new patterns of usage.
Will County is named for Dr. Conrad Will who was a member of the original Illinois constitutional convention.
Cook County Courthouse
Chicago, Illinois
Visited: Sptember 6, 2020
Built: 1965
Architects: Jacques Brownson of C F Murphy Associates, Loebl Shaman & Bennett and Skidmore Owings & Merrill
It's sort of impossible to put this building in the same category with the other Illinois courthouses. It is 31 story building constructed of Cor-Ten, a self-weahering steel designed to rust and actually strengthen the structure. This rusting gives it its distinctive brown color. The facade itself is almost entirely glass, with windows arranged in stripes all the way to the top.
This is a significant building in the International Style. When it was built it was actually the tallest building in Chicago until the John Hancock Building was built. It also has the distinction of being the tallest flat-roofed building in the world with fewer than 40 stories (typically a building this tall would have 50-60 floors). I don't know who dreams up these statistics.
Daley Plaza, in front of the building, is significant as being the location of the famous Chicago Picasso, a gift to the city from the artist. I think it's overall a terrific building.
Cook County is named for Daniel Pope Cook, the second Representative from Illinois.
Peoria County Courthouse
Peoria, Illinois
Visited: July 19, 2020
Erected: 1964
Architects: Lankton-Ziegele Terry and Associates
The Peoria County Courthouse is constructed of stone, concrete, and glass. The entrance is marked by a section of glass panels. to the right is a tall block faced with stone, punctuated with narrow vertical windows. The he left is a low block with dark stone and small windows on the ground floor and a windowless expanse of stone/concrete above.
Much like the courthouse in Waukegan, its materials and clean lines really seems to capture the sixties modern international feel. Unfortunately, my photo doesn't capture the full building at all well. (This was early in our courthouse hunting and I didn't think about the appropriate way to record our visits. This is one of the buildings I want to most go back to in order o more fully capture its essence.)
Peoria itself is nestled into a very wide section of the Illinois River Valley. I think the rivers in Illinois create some magnificent landscapes, and this includes this area. Like almost all of Illinois, much of the manufacturing strength of Peoria has shut down, so it is not nearly as bustling as it once was. I feel a special affinity for this area, though, because my dad was born and raised in Peoria County.
Peoria was settled in 1691 and is the oldest permanent European settlement in what is now the state of Illinois. A bit of trivia new to me: before Prohibition, Peoria was the uncontested Whiskey capital of the United States/
Peoria County was named after the Indian tribe called the Peorias.
Saint Clair County Courthouse
Belleville, Illinois
Visited: August 17, 2020 (and perpetually, since Belleville is home)
Erected: 1976
Architects: Hellmuth, Obata & Kasabaum and Weisenstein, Hausmann, Ganschinietz, and Klingel, Inc.
I can't really talk about this building without being upfront about my personal history with it. I've lived most of my life in Belleville and so am very aware of the history. I suppose there are stories of similar impact in other towns where an old building was torn down, but it has left an epic scar in everyone who was alive at the time.
Belleville had a grand classical/Italianate 1859 courthouse sitting on the public square. I will go out on a limb and (after seeing so many other courthouses) say that it actually was not that beautiful of a building. It DID have a magnificent stone staircase leading up to a portico supported by four enormous stone columns. This facade formed a particularly memorable backdrop for significant events, like and appearance by President Kennedy. It had also been the end point of Hobo Day (Homecoming) parades and celebrations for Belleville Township High School for generations. Aside from this impressive facade it was a cramped building with absolutely no space around it and adjacent buildings.
There was a battle about whether to save it or not, when one Friday evening the construction company rammed a wrecking ball into a big chunk of the building; there were terrible storms that weekend and it was somehow decided that there was no way to save it, so down it came. At any rate, it is a universal offense, still fifty years later, that the old courthouse was torn down. The action spurred an interest in historic preservation in Belleville, one that has only been marginally successful; city workers seem to have no greater pleasure than tearing down old houses and turning them in to parking lots.
As a personal memory, while the courthouse was just a pile of rubble, many people sifted through the wreckage for souvenirs. We were not alone in scavenging a few bricks and a little slab of marble from the wreckage; they were in our garage for the longest time, but I have no idea what eventually happened to them. The current plan is that the four columns (minus the capitals) are going to be at last be re-erected at the entrance to downtown on Main and 6th Street.
The replacement building is a modernest concrete structure that everyone loves to hate. I have to say think it is beautiful and a distinct improvement, at least from the outside. The building is L-shaped, with two concrete and glass wings connected with a four story glass atrium. The building faces a large public plaza with two pools with multiple fountains in each. The one criticism I have is the ungainly arched bridge connecting the building to the parking garage.
Of all the buildings we visited, this one perhaps takes the most advantage of its site. the two wings embrace its corner and make it part of the landmark Veterans Fountain that sits in the middle of the Square that defines downtown. It is a really great Civic Space.
Saint Clair County is the oldest county in Illinois was named for Arthur Sinclair, the Commander in Chief of the United States Army after the Revolution.
Randolph County Courthouse
Chester, Illinois
Visited: September 20, 2020
Erected: 1974
Architects: Hanner, Breitweise, and McGlaughlin Architects
The Randolph County Courthouse is constructed of concrete and glass with a green copper roof reminiscent of a Mansard roof. It is composed of disparate pieces that come together as a whole to make a very attractive building. The central section on the front, above low glass entrance doors, is a large flat concrete surface with a large multi-colored version of the County Seal in the center with "Randolph County Court House" written below it in a very fine period-appropriate font. Wings on either side are marked by tall concrete vertical dividers spaced by horizontal windows and capped with the green roof. The building is built right on the bluffs facing the Mississippi River, with the front street view showing two floors but the back the faces the river and spans the slope having three floors. There is an observation deck on the top floor affording what I can only assume is a commanding view of the Mississippi River (the building was closed due to COVID; this is another building I really want to get back to.
Chester itself is an old river town, home to one of the few bridges that cross the Mississippi south of St. Louis. These days, a lot is made of the fact that the creator or the Popeye cartoon was from Chester, so there are statues of characters from that strip around town. Just outside of town is the storied Menard Illinois State Penitentiary.
Randolph County was named for Edmund Randolph, a Revolutionary War soldier, Attorney General, and Secretary of State.
Rock Island County Courthouse
Rock Island, Illinois
Visited: October 11, 2020
Erected: 2018 (?)
Architects: Philips Swager Associates of Peoria
This courthouse is sort of a challenge to discuss and has been a controversial topic in Rock Island for a number of years. Rock Island had a classic-style courthouse from 1898. It had been modified and remodeled many times over the years and, though old and familiar, was sort of a mess. An annex was built next door in 2001, but then I believe the decision was made that the old building would be demolished and the Annex expanded. This expansion made the "new" courthouse sit just a few feet from the old building, which looked pretty ridiculous. But preservationists tried valiantly to prevent the old building from being razed, which seems to me to have been an exercise in futility, as the new building was already built, the old courthouse was already mainly gutted, and the physical placement made access to the new building almost impossible.
We were unable to get a good look really, at the new (current) courthouse because the old building blocked one's view of it. So this picture is sort of taken from the side. I think it actually is a pretty attractive building, but it's hard to say. It's pale grey stone and brick, with lots of glass. It's mainly constructed of square shapes but is relieved by some large, curved glass walls. (At least I think it is.)
As of April 2023 it seems that actual demolition was started, so I'm eager to go back to Rock Island to get a better view of the new building. Honestly, the old building could only be defended by blind allegiance to saving anything old, because it really no longer was a building worth saving.
Rock Island County is named for the island called Rock Island that is in the middle of the Mississippi River.
Winnebago County Courthouse
Rockford, Illinois
Visited: February 5, 2021
Erected: 1968
Architects: Gilbert A Johnson, Kile, and Seehausen Associates
The Winnebago County Courthouse is a nine-story tower of glass, concrete, and brick, with a lower wing extending to the west. The "front' side is clad entirely in white concrete with a single line of windows extending to the full height of the building. On the other street-facing side, the facade is brick with three lines of vertical windows. There are essentially no grounds, as the building sits exactly flush with the sidewalk.
There's really not much wrong with the building, other than that there is little to distinguish it as a building of any consequence. If you're not looking for it specifically, there's nothing that elevates this building to one's attention as anything but a generic office building. The lack of any space around it also makes it difficult to actually gain any perspective of it.
Rockford itself is a bit city that seems really to be down on its luck, with very much abandoned industrial property skirting the heart of the city.
Winnebago County is named for the Winnebago Indian tribe.
Stephenson County Courthouse
Freeport, Illinois
Visited: July 17, 2020
Erected: 1974
Architects: Johnson, Kile, and Seehausen
The Stephenson County Courthouse sits in the center of Freeport. It's a three story building of glass, brick, and concrete. The first floor is recessed under the projecting concrete second floor supported by concrete columns. The second floor is largely unornamented, having only a couple windows and a bas relief representation of the county seal about the entrance. The third floor is brick and recessed behind the projecting second story.
The first time I saw this building I hated it; the second time it didn't seem so bad. I think a lot of the negative impact is based on its setting. EVERYTHING is concrete. There isn't a hint of vegetation or ornamentation. There's a nineteenth century Civil War monument (presumably left from the grounds of the previous courthouse) that is sitting awkwardly on the corner; the monument is fine but only serves to reinforce the feeling that one of them--the monument or the building--is in the wrong place.
Freeport is also an old industrial city that is a little bit down at heel, although it has probably the finest city park (Krape Park) that we have encountered in any non-Chicago are city.
Stephenson County is named for Benjamin Stephenson, the Adjutant General of Illinois Territory from 1813 to 1814.
McLean County Courthouse
Bloomington, Illinois
Visited: January 5, 2021
Erected: 1977
Architects: Lundeen, Hilfinger, and Ashbury
The McLean County Courthouse is a glass, concrete, and brick building located on a barren plot on the outskirts of downtown Bloomington. The building is five stories, square, with a projecting entrance extension. upper floors are delineated by white horizontal bands of concrete. Windows are located in a vertical column near the center of the building, with the outer portions marked with vertical bands of stone or brick.
The building just seems dull, perhaps made more so by visiting it on a very grey day. Like the St Clair County Courthouse, this building replaced a much-loved classic building. The difference is that here the old courthouse is still standing and houses a museum on the central town square. If it were still in use, it would certainly count itself among the finest courthouses in the state. Is it better or worse to have the constant reminder of the past?
Bloomington-Normal is among the central Illinois cities that is doing ok. McLean County has some of the best farmland in the state, Bloomington is home to the enormous State Farm Insurance Co, and Normal has Illinois State University, so it has a number of advantages that other cities lack.
McLean County is named for John McLean, a US Representative and Senator from the 1820s.
So this ends this Courthouse Adventure. 101 courthouse buildings. (We're missing the courthouse for Franklin County as it was razed just days before we got to Benton.) It was a project of unexpected pleasure to make a point or traversing every county in the state and recording the seat of local government.