26th & Cal, il
This month’s selection, the 26th and Cal Courthouse in Chicago.
In 1929 Cook County built a monumental Beaux Arts courthouse on a 96-acre plot. The historic courthouse is in the Little Village neighborhood on the Southwest side of Chicago six miles from the Downtown Loop. It opened on April 1, 1929. The court handles among other cases murder, rape and robbery trials. According to journalist Jason Meisner, 22,000 cases are decided annually in this courthouse with judges often having caseloads of 300 or more criminal matters. Meisner, “26th and Cal Courthouse Rich with History and Charm,” Chicago Tribune June 11, 2021. In 2012 the courthouse was renamed the George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse in honor of the civil rights activist, Cook County judge, Illinois appellate judge and United States District Court judge in Chicago.
Directly behind 26th and Cal is the massive Cook County Jail, which has eleven divisions and maintains a daily population of 10,000 inmates. On September 10, 1970, Blues legend B.B. King recorded before 2100 inmates Live in Cook County Jail, which album was released in 1971 and won numerous music awards. Many movies and TV shows have filmed at this historic courthouse including The Fugitive, Primal Fear, Hill Street Blues and The Good Wife. Source: Meisner, supra. Inmates held in the jail have included Al Capone and John Wayne Gacy.
The 15 original courtrooms are on floors 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the courthouse. The fourth floor also has the grand jury room. 16 modern courtrooms have been installed on floors 2 and 3. The first floor contains the courtroom of the Presiding Judge of the Criminal Courts. South of the original courthouse is the seven-story Criminal Court Administration Building that was built in 1974 to house the offices of the Cook County State’s Attorney and the Cook County Public Defender.
26th and Cal’s Classical Revival style is influenced by the Beaux Arts School. The exterior is Indiana limestone and features classical elements like columns, pediments, and moldings. It has eight figures outside the top floor symbolizing Law, Justice, Liberty, Truth, Might, Love, Wisdom, and Peace. The interior is comprised of oak, marble, and plaster. Doric columns are present in the lobby which features black, green, white, and vermillion marble. The original 96-year-old courtrooms are in remarkably good condition given their age and the amount of foot traffic.
26th and Cal has far more trials than most any courthouse in America. Not only because of the size of Cook County, but because many defendants are willing to risk a trial when key evidence at issue, such as the use of a gun or robbery versus armed roberry, can mean the difference between a ten-year and forty-plus year sentence. Most trials begin with jury selection on Monday and end with a verdict by Friday. The hopes and prayers of defendants and their families on Tuesday are usually dashed by Thursday.
Perhaps above all, despondent mothers in the old oak courtrooms and marble hallways stand out. Those of the defendants wondering why their sons were where they were the night in question, and those of the victims realizing that however evil, senseless, mistaken, or random the crime, no amount of justice at 26th and Cal will bring back or restore their loved ones.
From the adjoining Cook County Jail, many serious offenders will be shipped to distant and aging Illinois prisons with names like Pontiac (1871) and Menard (1878). And so, the criminal justice system beats on…
Thanks to Cook County Judges Erica L. Reddick and James M. Obbish and Court Administrator Amina Thompson for access to the 26th and Cal original courtrooms and permission to photograph the building’s interior.
