Old Joliet prison may reopen to the public by August

Supporters of reopening the 160-year-old Joliet Correctional Center in Joliet, Illinois, as a tourism attraction now are thinking of a grand reopening for August after cleanup efforts at the site accelerated in recent weeks.

The Herald-News reported Homer Tree Service was busy last week removing brush inside the  prison, which has been closed and neglected since 2002. Homer donated its services to clean up the prison, best known for its opening scene of “The Blues Brothers” movie.

The newspaper reported:

“I think about its history and all the connections. You’ve got ‘The Blues Brothers’ and Route 66,” said Andrew Chemers, a Homer Tree Service log truck operator, mentioning the movie and nearby historic highway associated with the prison. “Quite frankly, I think it’s just cool.”

Chemers, of Joliet, is a member of a committee formed by the Joliet Area Historical Museum to pursue possible tourism opportunities for the prison, which first opened in 1858. But when he was approached by a museum board member to join the cause, Chemers said he was skeptical.

“When he first told me about it, I thought he was crazy,” Chemers said. “When I actually went in there and walked through there, it totally blew me away. I saw the potential.”

Chemers talked to his bosses at Homer Tree Service, who also saw the prison’s potential after touring the grounds.

Greg Peerbolte, executive director of the Joliet Area Historical Museum who’s done prison tours in the past, said he’s been “floored” by the interest in reopening the facility.

The goal is to repair some of the damage done to the buildings by both neglect and vandalism and clear away debris to the point that there can be at least limited tours of the prison grounds.

The goal is to have a grand opening in late August, Peerbolte said. But he wants to begin some kind of tours even earlier.

“We anticipate some soft-opening activities,” Peerbolte said. “We’re shooting for June.”

The city, the museum and Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry are forming a committee to organize the grand reopening.

Interest in rehabbing the prison jumped after the city in December took out a five-year lease from the state.

Evil Intentions, a company based in the region, just weeks after the city linked the lease signed a sublease to run a haunted house in one of the prison buildings this fall. The city had to turn down two other haunted-house firms who wanted to use the prison.

The city seeks to eventually conduct bus tours inside the prison, along with opening a hotel, restaurants and gift shops at its grounds. The prison remains a popular photo op for Route 66 travelers.

The old Joliet Correctional Center shouldn’t be confused with Stateville Correctional Center, which sits in nearby Crest Hill, Illinois, along Illinois 53 (aka Route 66) and still is being used.

(Image of the east gate of the Joliet Correctional Center in Joliet, Illinois, by Jacobsteinafm via Wikimedia Commons)