JLL
Back in the 1870s, one of the construction materials of choice in Chicago was stone from quarries near Joliet and Lemont. Let's call it JLL. These are not just the acronym of the commercial real estate management firm Jones Lang Lasalle, but the initials of "Joliet-Lemont Limestone." I'll avoid calling it limestone. The definition of limestone varies among geologists, the construction profession and the architectural and historical communities. JLL is a dolomitic stone extracted from quarries between the towns of Joliet and Lemont, Illinois. JLL has a golden-yellow hue that is familiar in Chicago today from the Water Tower and Pumping Station, Holy Name Cathedral, the old prison in Joliet and other buildings of that era. Because it can be produced in large thin sheets -- my sense is 12 foot by 8 foot by 8 inches -- it could be used for façades, allowing for quick and economical construction. Not always of the most uniform of consistency, JLL use was repla...