Board votes to demolish 123-year-old Rock Island courthouse

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (AP) - A northern Illinois county board has voted to tear down a 123-year-old stone courthouse despite pleas from the public to save the building.

The Rock Island County board on Tuesday night approved an agreement to hand the courthouse over to the Public Building Commission for demolition. More than 100 people turned out for the meeting, including many who were wearing "Save our Courthouse" stickers.

The vote came after more than a year of discussions about the future of the Rock Island County courthouse.

The agreement allows the county to hand over the deed of the courthouse to the Public Building Commission, which will pay $1.6 million for asbestos abatement and demolition. It was estimated that it would have cost $20 million or more to renovate the courthouse for other uses.