Old downtown Plainfield Trolley Barn gets redesign, hopes to spur economic growth

PLAINFIELD – The almost 20,000 square feet of the old, dilapidated Trolley Barn is in the midst of an extreme makeover and a renewed dominant presence in downtown Plainfield.

The cavernous building at 24216 W. Lockport St. once served as a storage and maintenance shop for trolley cars along the old Aurora, Plainfield and Joliet Railway. Two large bays housed the trolley cars.

But now, demolition has begun for a transformation that village officials hope will turn it into the third major anchor for downtown development.

Paul Wojcieszak, president of Chicago-based Sheffield Safety and Loss Control, bought the building for a new business office. But now he's stripping it down to its core identity to modernize its use while preserving its historical significance.

Transformation

From the outside, the Trolley Barn looks smaller than the other two recently redeveloped anchors of downtown, the Masonic Lodge and the old Opera House Block buildings – at least in height.

But inside, the structure looks more like a spacious, long-abandoned warehouse.

After trolley operations ceased in 1924, the property changed hands several times and was repurposed for storage and other maintenance operations.

According to village documents, the building was drastically remodeled in the 1940s and 1950s by the Railoc Company, which manufactured grain silo roofs and access systems. Railoc occupied the structure until 1982.

Wojcieszak said one of the toughest parts of the overhaul is making a building constructed in 1903 compliant with 2015 codes and standards. He said updating the building to current codes added 35 to 40 percent to the renovation budget, which could exceed $1 million.

But Wojcieszak is receiving financial help from the village, which has given the project a $237,194 facade grant through downtown Plainfield tax increment financing district funds. The grant will cover half the costs to the facade improvements.

The western addition, which has already been demolished, will be redesigned into a patio extending more than 3,000 square feet. The patio will be used by a future bar-restaurant and potentially for community gatherings.

With a security company taking up the eastern half of the Railoc addition, the bar and restaurant concept will move into much of the old maintenance space. The renovation of that area also includes a large glass wall facing Lockport Street.

In addition, there will be room for three other tenants.

“We’re looking at all high-end retail,” Wojcieszak said.

The original historic look of the building can’t be replicated, especially the barn doors, but Wojcieszak said an effort is being made to incorporate historic elements, including preserving as many bricks as possible from the demolition and redevelopment, and repurposing them.

Entrance to downtown

Village officials are hoping the revitalized Trolley Barn will act as a welcoming presence to downtown from the west by attracting more commercial development to the riverfront area.

Mayor Michael Collins said the plan is to develop the riverfront and connect the east and west sides of town through bike and pedestrian trails. Then, the Trolley Barn can become an entrance to downtown Plainfield.

“We view the riverfront as a destination and we want to develop that,” Collins said.

The historic Masonic Lodge building at 24050 W. Lockport St. and the old Opera House Block, or "Clock Tower," building down the street, have been renovated using downtown Plainfield TIF grants as well. Those corners didn't find trouble drawing tenants to fill the commercial spaces on the first floors, and Collins hopes the same proves true for the Trolley Barn.

Another potential development in the area could be the extension of James Street to Main Street next to the Trolley Barn, Wojcieszak said. The village-owned building housing a scuba-diving business would be demolished to make way for the extension.

Village Planner Michael Garrigan said the extension of James Street, which Collins said has been discussed since 2000, depends on the realignment of Route 126. That’s because trucks would have a hard time taking a 90-degree turn from Lockport Street to James Street.

The realignment of Route 126 could allow Main Street to become a local road. But the Illinois Department of Transportation wants the village to first complete an extension
of 143rd Street.

If Main Street transfers from state to local control, the Trolley Barn project's Main Street facade – stalled because it encroaches upon the right
of way – would be able to move forward.

“We hope that can happen, but right now we’re focused on the rest of the building,” Wojcieszak said.