Joliet Wants Someone To Acquire Crabigale's Comedy Club Building

JOLIET — The city of Joliet issued a press release on Wednesday revealing it is trying to find a someone to redevelop one of its long-standing city-owned empty buildings, the old Crabigale's Comedy Club at 1 East Cass Street in downtown Joliet across from the Juliet's Tavern.

"Interested parties are encouraged to review the RFP in detail and participate in an upcoming building walk-through," city of Joliet economic development staff announced.

Joliet has owned the Crabigale's property for years and prior city administrations made no progress finding someone to acquire the building, spruce it up and get it back on the city's property tax rolls. Now, the current administration of city manager Beth Beatty and Mayor Terry D'Arcy are taking charge of the Crabigale's property in hopes of getting it redeveloped and enhancing the downtown business district just up the street from the Rialto Square Theatre.

According to Wednesday's announcement from Joliet's City Hall:

"The City of Joliet is excited to announce the release of a Request for Proposals for the redevelopment of the historic Loughran Building, 1 E. Cass Street – a key opportunity to invest in the revitalization of downtown Joliet.

"The City is seeking proposals that will activate this landmark property, enhance downtown vibrancy, and align with Joliet’s long-term vision for economic development and historic preservation through the incorporation of mixed-use development, commercial activation, residential components, or other innovative uses that will enhance economic activity in the area.

"Respondents should demonstrate financial capacity, development experience, and a vision that aligns with Joliet’s downtown redevelopment goals, emphasizing economic impact, community benefits, project feasibility, and the strategic use of economic incentives."

The city's deadline for accepting proposals on the project is March 21. People should direct any questions about the project to Kasie Nette, city of Joliet economic development specialist, knette@joliet.gov or (815) 724-3748.

Joliet's website link for the request for proposals is here.

In 2022, Joliet Patch reported that John Bays was considering purchasing the Crabigale's Comedy Club building at the busy downtown intersection of Cass and North Chicago streets. However, at no point during the past three years was the city and Bays able to finalize an agreement.

In the 2022 article, Joliet Patch reported that despite city officials showing the building to a number of prospective buyers in recent years, nothing ever materialized.