Will County Gazette

Downtown Joliet is designated as a National Register Historic District

The City of Joliet is pleased to announce that Downtown Joliet was recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Register Historic District.  Encompassing over 150 years of history and development, downtown Joliet endures as a significant commercial district and the heart of Joliet and Will County government, society, and community culture. The Downtown Joliet NRHD retains a significant collection of commercial, governmental, educational, transportation, and religious high-style architecture. The period of significance for the Downtown Joliet NRHD is from 1858, the construction date of the oldest building in the district, to 1973, the fifty-year cutoff for the National Register of Historic Places.

The City of Joliet, in conjunction with the Joliet Historic Preservation Commission and City Center Partnership, pursued National Register Historic District designation for the downtown as an economic development tool. Priscilla Cordero, the Executive Director of the City Center Partnership, remarked: “having a national register historic district in place enables property owners or developers to receive state and federal historic tax credits for qualified rehabilitation projects, and we have several older buildings that could benefit from this. National Register Historic District status also enhances downtown Joliet as a destination for heritage tourism type travelers.”

“Joliet was one of the few cities in Illinois without a downtown or commercial National Register Historic District” said City Planner Jayne Bernhard. Lockport, Plainfield, Lemont, Morris, Ottawa, Aurora to name a few, they all have them. It was time to recognize our historic downtown and provide another opportunity for economic investment.”

The Downtown Joliet National Register Historic District is the fifth National Register Historic District in Joliet. The East Side National Register Historic District was designated in 1980, the Upper Bluff National Register Historic District in 1991, the Steel Works National Register Historic District in 1991, and the Illinois State Penitentiary-Joliet National Register Historic District in the fall of 2023.

For those interested in learning more about the downtown’s architectural history and historical development, please visit the historic preservation webpage on the City of Joliet’s website to view the Downtown Joliet NRHD nomination: www.joliet.gov/historicpreservation 

Original source can be found here.