Will County Gazette

Joliet City Council members recently showed their appreciation for their first responders for aiding in saving a historic building at a meeting.

On Feb. 1, a historic mansion in Joliet caught fire. The Patrick Haley Mansion is a private event center used for weddings and other banquets in the area. Just before 4 p.m., the Joliet Fire Department responded to a call for a fire at the mansion and found smoke billowing out of the attic area. 

Within 40 minutes, the department had the fire contained and under control and quickly put the rest of it out. The crews stayed on scene until 8:30 p.m. Although there were employees inside the mansion at the time of the fire, preparing for an event later that evening, no one was injured and everyone was safety evacuated.

"We are so proud of our Joliet Fire Department and the way they handled that Patrick Haley Mansion fire," Council member Jan Quillman said. "Within 40 minutes, they had that under control. And for a very old building, the [fire] started in the attic, it was amazing. They were able to save a lot of things, and the rest of the building was untouched by smoke. The ballroom and everything else is intact, and it’s my understanding [that it will be] back up and running in about three months depending on insurance and everything. So again, I’m very proud of our fire department, the chief and everybody that came out that day to save the old building. I just kept thinking about the one in Chicago that went up like that, and it’s so historic and very important to Joliet."

The only areas that suffered smoke and fire damage were the attic, where it started, and the third floor. The first and second floors received some water damage, however, the owners are already starting full restorations and repairs for the building. While an exact reason for the fire has not been published yet, the fire department has reported that it was an accidental fire. The owners have been posting updates on their Facebook page, reporting that cleanup and plans are already underway, and they have fully canceled all events through the end of April, hoping to be able to open sometime after that.

The Patrick Haley Mansion was built in the 1980s by Patrick and his wife Mary. Without factoring in revenue loss from the canceled events, the building officials estimated a total of $1.25 million in damages to the property, although the kitchen and banquet facilities sustained no damage. The most damage is to the hospitality suite upstairs.