Protesters gather for ‘last gasp’ of old Rock Island County Courthouse

A half dozen protesters faced bitter winds Wednesday, April 5, to stage their final public protest before demolition of the old Rock Island County Courthouse began in earnest today. The old building, which was surrounded by safety fencing and littered with heavy equipment – including a prominent wrecking ball — served as the backdrop of […]

A half dozen protesters faced bitter winds Wednesday, April 5, to stage their final public protest before demolition of the old Rock Island County Courthouse began in earnest today. The old building, which was surrounded by safety fencing and littered with heavy equipment – including a prominent wrecking ball -- served as the backdrop of what had been billed as a “silent protest.” But those gathered within sight of the new adjacent Rock Island Justice Center were resigned to the historic structure’s fate.

“It’s the last gasp here,” sighed Rock Island activist Vince Thomas, who carried a “Save Our Courthouse” sign while standing on the sidewalk alongside the building. Actual demolition work did not begin Wednesday as initially expected on the building at 210 15th St. a day after damaging winds and hail struck the Quad Cities. Instead, crews from Valley Construction got to work today to begin bringing down the building. The demolition process which did begin Thursday morning is expected to take weeks depending on the weather, Rock Island County officials say.  At Wednesday’s wake-like sendoff for the building, some of those who have fought the demolition, including Greg Swanson, shared what the building meant to them and why they fought to save it. “If we forget the past, we lose our rudder,” said Mr. Swanson, a retired longtime Moline municipal worker. “I’m not saying that we have to live in the past, but when somebody builds something of great value that’s lasting now –  it was built in 1897 and it’s still standing there – and then what you see now is that there they’re lined up ready to knock it down.” Once the courthouse is gone, he predicted, “A building of this quality will never ever again be built in Rock Island county.” The cost, he said, would be prohibitive. The courthouse’s demolition is expected to put an end to the often-bitter, five-year battle to save the structure that was sparked when plans to build new courtrooms adjacent to the jail – which is now known as the Justice Center Annex – were first introduced. Once the site is cleared, Rock Island County Board Chairman Richard “Quijas” Brunk plans to create a greenspace which also could later serve as the site of county offices. The City of Rock Island issued the permit to Valley Construction on Friday, March 31, to allow the 105,000-square-foot building to be razed. Demolition cost is estimated at $400,000. Documents filed along with the permit included a December 2022 ruling by Illinois Tenth Circuit Court Judge James Mack of Peoria County. It said “there is no TRO (temporary restraining order) in place to prevent the demolition of the former Rock Island County Courthouse, and to the extent a TRO existed it is hereby dissolved.” The permit also included a document showing that the county had conducted through the State Historic Preservation Office and the Illinois EPA an official “recordation” – or historic documentation of the building. It was required by the Third District Appellate Court in 2020. Among the things recorded were drawings, photo prints, a historical narrative, historic photographs and maps. According to the Rock Island Preservation Society, the old courthouse was dedicated on March 13, 1897, and cost $112,201 to build, not including the cost of the heating system for the 60-room structure.  The Rock Island County courts fully moved out of the old courthouse and into the then-new Rock Island County Justice Center courtroom addition in December of 2018.