ROCK ISLAND, Illinois - A grand opening will take place at the Rock Island Justice Center Annex on December 3.
The new building is located at 1317 Third Avenue, just behind the old courthouse building.
The building will feature four new civil (non-jury) court rooms, a new state's attorney's office, A circuit clerk's office, a payroll hearing office, a secure attorney's room, judges chambers, and break rooms.
"We will have a place where justice will kind of look like justice." said Hon. Walter Braud, Chief Judge of the 14th Circuit. "It's going to inspire confidence, on top of being just being a beautiful facility when people come off the bridge, people will say "My god I didn't know Rock Island could do this!'"
The old courthouse is 122 years old, and county leaders approved it's demolition in July 2018.
Still though, preservationists are fighting to save the building.
"(Preservationists) just have something that they think is valuable and worth fighting for and I see nothing wrong with that." said Hon. Braud in an interview with News 8.
A demolition date has not been set for the historic building.
"Once this old, wreck of a building is gone, it will be less than a memory in less than a year. And what people are going to remember is, 'it's kind of pretty coming over the bridge!" said Hon. Braud.
The grand opening of the new building will begin at noon for invited guests and tours of the new facility will follow.
A high-quality reproduction of a famous Abraham Lincoln photograph will also be presented to the Rock Island Justice Center to commemorate the state’s bicentennial on Monday, December 3.
That event begins at 4:00 p.m. and the public is invited to attend.
Business will officially begin at the new annex next week.