Tazewell County Justice Center Annex Project Reaches Topping-Out Milestone

A topping-out ceremony was held at the site of the new Tazewell County Justice Center Annex project in downtown Pekin, Ill., last month. | Photo Credit: Courtesy of P.J. Hoerr Inc.

• The 87,000-square-foot Justice Center Annex has topped out in downtown Pekin, Ill., marking completion of its structural frame. 
• The facility will open with three criminal courtrooms and shelled space for three more, along with offices for several county justice functions. 
• A secure underground tunnel and three-way circulation system will separate movement by the public, judges and staff, and people in custody. 
• Wold Architects and Engineers is providing design and engineering services, and P.J. Hoerr Inc. is the construction contractor; completion is anticipated in fall or winter 2026. 

PEKIN, Ill. — Tazewell County, Ill.’s new 87,000-square-foot Justice Center Annex project has reached a topping-out milestone, marking completion of the structural frame for the project in downtown Pekin. 

County officials, representatives from project designer Wold Architects and Engineers and contractor P.J. Hoerr Inc., and other project team members gathered for the ceremony on Aug. 18. The annex is being built across from the historic Tazewell County Courthouse and is expected to be completed in fall or winter 2026. 

The $43.5 million project, which broke ground in August of 2025, is being delivered as new construction for Tazewell County. Its downtown location is intended to preserve the county’s civic presence while adding purpose-built space for modern, secure court operations. 

The facility will open with three criminal courtrooms and include shelled space that can be completed later for three additional courtrooms. Plans also call for larger courtroom layouts and improved areas for judges and jurors, giving the county both initial capacity and room for future court expansion. 

Several justice-related functions will be consolidated in the annex. The building will house the offices of the state’s attorney, probation department and circuit clerk, bringing court and administrative services into a shared location. 

A secure underground tunnel will connect the annex to the adjacent Justice Center and county jail. The route will allow people in custody to move between the jail and court without entering public circulation areas. 

Inside the building, circulation will be divided among three user groups: judges and staff, the public, and people in custody. The separation is designed to improve security and operational efficiency compared with the county’s existing facilities by reducing intersections among those groups. 

The exterior will combine a contemporary design with architectural references to the historic courthouse and existing Justice Center. The approach is intended to help the new building fit within the surrounding civic district while establishing a distinct, modern court facility. 

In an August 2025 Correctional News article, Matt Bickel, a Government Practice Leader with Wold, described the annex as a response to outdated court spaces and emphasized future expansion, co-located services and secure circulation, identifying the tunnel and three-way separation as central elements of the design. Bickel also highlighted bhow the design team paid careful attention to the context of the surrounding environment to ensure compatibility with the downtown setting.  

The topping-out milestone advances the annex project toward its anticipated completion in May of 2027. 

This article is based on reporting originally published by Chicago Construction News on Sept. 1, 2026. Context on the project’s design program is drawn from a previous Correctional News article written by Matt Bickel of Wold Architects and Engineers, published Sept. 30, 2025.