Historic building in Joliet will be torn down

The century-old White Store in downtown Joliet, Ill., will be razed to make way for a new building being erected by Joliet Junior College, reported the Herald-News.

The four-story White Store at 235 Chicago St. (on the Illinois 53 alignment of Route 66) will be demolished in about 20 days, the newspaper reported.

Workers will try to salvage and recycle as many materials as possible from the building, Russ said. For instance, bricks and wood from the building will be reused where possible, excluding items tainted by asbestos. The neon White Store sign on the front of the building also will be salvaged.

Route 66 posters in the store’s windows have already been saved and probably will be donated to the nearby Joliet Area Historical Museum and Route 66 Welcome Center. […]

Members of the Joliet Historic Preservation Commission urged JJC to try to save the White Store instead of tearing it down, but school officials decided bringing the building up to code would be too costly.

Joliet City Manager Tom Thanas said the building sat neglected for 30 years and would have been expensive to rehab.

The White Store, which dates to 1938, sold apparel, furnishings, sporting goods and groceries until it closed in 1980. Another furniture business used the building as a warehouse until July 2009.

A good photo of the building can be seen here.

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