Joliet church will be redeveloped into a restaurant, apartments

A developer is seeking to redevelop the historic but long-closed St. Mary Carmelite Church in Joliet, Illinois, into a large restaurant and apartments, according to the Joliet Bugle.

“A loan has been secured, and they are going to close in April,” Mayor Tom Giarrante said on Friday. “I am very happy. It is a beautiful building, and we would hate to have it torn down, but it is becoming deteriorated. I am glad someone purchased it and is going to put it to good use.“ […]

[H]e plans to build a mezzanine inside the church so the restaurant can have a second floor. The rectory will become apartments. And here’s a kicker — the developer plans to move into the rectory for the duration of the project to keep things moving along.

The name of the new developer was not revealed.

Chicago-area developer Scott Henry sought to turn the building into a Route 66 welcome center and senior housing, but he never secured the financing. At one point, the church was on the auction block, but the auction was canceled.

St. Mary Carmelite, built in 1882, is the second-oldest church building in Joliet. It was designed by the same architect who designed Chicago’s Holy Name Cathedral, Patrick C. Keeley, and was built with native limestone. The church closed in 1991.

The church sits along the original alignment of Route 66.

(Image of St. Mary Carmelite Church in Joliet by picsofabandonporn1 via Flickr)