Updated statement regarding March 6, 2019, Hearing on LI’s Temporary Restraining Order to halt demolition of the Rock Island County Courthouse
Issued March 6, 2019 – 9:45 P.M.
Landmarks Illinois is happy to report that the Judge in Peoria County’s 10th Circuit Court granted a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to halt demolition of the historic Rock Island County Courthouse at a hearing in Peoria Wednesday, March 6, 2019.
With the TRO granted, Landmarks Illinois and the other plaintiffs in this case are assured that demolition on the historic Rock Island County Courthouse will be temporarily halted while our legal complaint proceeds. Landmarks Illinois will continue to engage in discussions with developers and other interested parties that may be able to restore and reuse the courthouse. A number of developers have expressed interest in the historic courthouse and indicated a willingness to review and potentially respond to a Request for Proposals. The courthouse’s design, significance, location and eligibility for financial incentives makes the building a compelling site for adaptive reuse.
Background information:
Landmarks Illinois, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Rock Island Preservation Society, the Moline Preservation Society, the Broadway Historic District Association, and Frederick Shaw filed a TRO and Injunction to temporarily halt demolition of Rock Island County’s historic courthouse on February 7, 2019, in the 14th Circuit Court in Rock Island. Diane Oestreich, a member of the Rock Island Preservation Society, was later added as a Plaintiff. The TRO was filed a day after Landmarks Illinois and the other plaintiffs listed above filed a lawsuit against the Rock Island County Public Building Commission (PBC) and the Rock Island County Board, to protect the historic Rock Island County Courthouse from unlawful demolition. The Chief Justice’s Office of the 14th Circuit requested to the Illinois Supreme Court that the case be moved, which subsequently assigned the case to Peoria’s 10th Circuit Court.
Media Contact:
Kaitlyn McAvoy
Communications Manager, Landmarks Illinois
312-922-1742
kmcavoy@landmarks.org