Old Joliet Prison Preservation Coalition
The 2023 Canal Boat Captain's Award Honorees - Part 4
Hello, everyone, and welcome to another edition of Canal Stories, a series brought to you by the Canal Corridor Association to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Illinois & Michigan Canal and the communities that were shaped by its legacy. For the next few days, we will be continuing our special week-long series highlighting the seven 2023 Honorees who were recognized at our Boat Captain’s Luncheon in April of this year. These outstanding individuals and organizations are celebrated for contributing to the success of the I&M Canal National Heritage Area, and for furthering the principles on which CCA was founded. Today, we’re tipping a hat to our friends at the Old Joliet Prison Preservation Coalition.
Since 2002, there has been a large complex of architecturally and historically significant buildings which have been vacant on Joliet’s east side. If you guessed the Old Joliet Prison you’d be right. Since that time, there have been discussions about how to adaptively reuse the 20-acre complex, but it wasn’t until 2013 that the right people got together to discuss the options and work out the incredibly difficult task of getting the State of Illinois, the City of Joliet, and the Joliet Area Historical Museum to agree on a plan.
The Joliet Correctional Center was opened in 1858 along the I&M Canal, and it was situated on limestone to increase its security and to allow inmates to quarry stone. The original building was designed by architect William W. Boyington in the “Prison or Castle Style” which included a crenellated parapet and locally quarried buff colored limestone walls. The prison has always been famous, and it was considered state-of-the-art when it was built.
Prisons have always fascinated people, whether it’s due to their secrecy or their famous occupants, but the movie industry has played a big role in people’s awareness and curiosity. In Joliet’s case, it was the “Blues Brothers,” filmed in 1980, that boosted its notoriety and has assisted in its reopening as part of the Joliet Area Museum complex.
Museum Executive Director Greg Peerbolte credits two people in particular who steered its reuse: Quinn Adamowski, the museum board chair, and the Bob O’DeKirk, the Joliet mayor. By 2017, they had a lease from the state and the keys. The men and women of the Will County and Joliet building trades donated their labor to make sure the buildings would be safe for visitors, and in 2018, the tours began. Then, on a spectacular August evening in 2022, they welcomed 5,700 people including Blues Brothers Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi.
Hats off to the all the officials and volunteers who came together to create another Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Area gem to add to the long list of why visitors should come to our area.
That concludes today’s Canal Story. Thank you so much for joining us as we continue our journey through the history of the Illinois & Michigan Canal. If you’ve enjoyed this episode, pass it along to your family and friends, and be sure to tune in tomorrow for the fifth installment of this spotlight series, featuring the Mazon Creek Fossil Crew. We’ll see you again very soon.