Joliet's Old Post Office: Downtown's Next Project?

JOLIET, IL — During the past three years, MyGrain Brewing has made itself into a downtown Joliet destination inside historic Union Station. John Bays is busy redeveloping the Two Rialto Square office building on North Chicago Street and the former Premier Building on Jackson Street. Local musician Ron Romero is hard at work converting his three-story building on Cass Street for the upcoming Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66.

Is there a theme? Old buildings continue to find new and creative ways to be put to use in 2020.

What's the next big redevelopment for Joliet's downtown?

Perhaps it will take place at 150 N. Scott St., otherwise known as Post Office Plaza.

The old U.S. Post Office property at the corner of Clinton and Scott Streets remains for sale.

In 2018, the owner of a family-run distillery in Thornton, with family ties to Al Capone and bootlegging during Prohibition, had his sights set on expanding into Joliet and acquiring the old downtown post office.

Unfortunately, unexpected health issues arose, and the man was not able to move forward with his vision of opening another distillery, along with a Cajun-style restaurant, inside Joliet's downtown post office.

But 2020 marks a new year and interim city manager Steve Jones told Joliet Patch this week that he remains very optimistic that a new prospective buyer will emerge in 2020.

Jones also pointed out that downtown Joliet's revitalization is much further along than ever before. The new 10-story Will County Courthouse will open in September or October.

And last April, Joliet property investor Mike Petry reopened the historic Barber Building on North Chicago Street after 30 months of extensive renovations. The Barber Building now features a few dozen high-end loft apartments, and all the units have been rented out.

According to the LoopNet real estate website, the 26,000-square-foot post office building at 150 N. Scott St. is currently offered for sale at $1.25 million.

The assets listed on the real estate website are:

• Building is on National Register of Historic Places
• Over 20,000-square-foot of space is available to redevelop
• U.S. Post Office is a tenant
• On-site parking
• ADA ramp and elevator
• Ceilings are 12-feet-high and 16-feet-high

Jones said there are a handful of financial incentives available for the property's redevelopment. The building is within the city's downtown Tax Increment Finance district, he added.

"It's a great building, it's one of my favorite buildings," Jones remarked. "It's a big building, over 20,000 square feet. I've made referrals over there."

This week, Jones told Joliet Patch that he foresees a number of possible uses for the old post office building, if the right buyer came along, such as:

• A one-of-a kind restaurant and bar that could perhaps capitalize on Joliet's Blues Brothers fame or the nostalgia of Historic Route 66.
• A boutique hotel
• A distillery and mini-museum
• Professional offices
• Upscale apartments or condominiums

One of the great assets of the property, Jones said, is that there's a large city parking deck directly across the street.

City officials including Jones continue to look for ways to bring more housing into downtown Joliet. The city's economic development office believes there is a strong market demand, whether it's for young working professionals or senior citizens looking to downsize, but stay in the area.

"I think with residential, it would create a funky living environment," Jones said, referring to the old post office. "There are incentive possibilities. It's a unique building, and the post office still has a small space in there."