Rock Island Today

The fate of the Rock Island County Courthouse took a new twist as Landmarks Illinois joined other nonprofit preservation groups in offering two potential solutions to save the 125-year-old building from the wrecking ball.

It could be privately developed or reused as a new federal courthouse, the groups proposed.

“We urge the county to consider the available benefits of this historic rehabilitation project, including job creation, tax revenue and conservation,” the five groups, Landmarks Illinois, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Rock Island Preservation Society, Moline Preservation Society and Broadway Historic District, wrote in a letter to the county on Aug. 6.

Landmarks Illinois President and CEO Bonnie McDonald | http://www.landmarks.org/

Following a lawsuit by the nonprofit groups, an Illinois appellate court rejected the county’s position that the building is exempt from the Preservation Act and blocked demolition of the courthouse. The groups wrote in the letter that the county has spent $114,000 in legal fees and “achieved nothing.”

“The demolition project remains enjoined, and we stand ready to work on a solution that benefits all parties,” the letter stated. “Accordingly, we write to renew our desire to settle the litigation between us and share with you our ideas on how we might do so.”

The preservation groups first suggested private development of the building in 2019 and renewed that as a suggestion.

“The case for the county to pursue a partnership with a private developer to reuse the historic courthouse is even stronger today than it was when we first proposed the solution in early 2019,” the letter stated. “A private redevelopment would cost the county nothing, while leveraging millions of dollars of private investment, creating jobs and generating new tax revenue. Given the current economic environment, we would like to work with the county to achieve this positive and constructive solution.”

A local developer, Joe Lemon, has proposed using the historic courthouse as the new federal courthouse.

“His proposal remains active and competitive in the process and receives preference from the General Services Administration because his proposal would reuse a historic building,” the letter stated. “We strongly urge the county to engage with Mr. Lemon and work to provide him with the option he needs to continue with his GSA proposal.”

This plan, the letter stated, would “impose no cost or risk on the county and could result in significant benefits for all.”