Jacksonville downtown projects move into new phase with housing plans
Crews are finishing phase one at downtown Jacksonville’s A and A building, and upstairs apartments are next. The work could add housing, restore landmarks, and bring more life to the square.
The elevator is already in place at the A and A building on the south side of Jacksonville’s square. Rabbi Rob Thomas is finishing phase one there and on a related project on the north side, and the next step is preparing apartments upstairs, a change that could put more people living above storefronts and extend activity beyond normal business hours.
Rabbi Rob Thomas’s plan also includes new home construction on College Street and Church Street, across from the JHS Bowl, with townhouses planned for College and single-family homes for Church. The projects target a part of Jacksonville where limited rental inventory has left fewer options for people looking to live close to the city’s core.
Site work hit snags when crews uncovered debris left behind by earlier demolition work, along with old sewer and water lines that were no longer active but still complicated the build.
The Strawn Opera House rebuild is the most complicated piece of the portfolio. Rabbi Rob Thomas and Lauren Thomas took ownership of the property and remnants in April 2025 with plans that could eventually include offices, apartments, restaurants and retail space. The original opera house, built by Jacob Strawn, became one of Jacksonville’s signature landmarks before it burned in 1887; the replacement building included a 1,400-person auditorium.
The work is unfolding in the center of a downtown that was laid out on March 10, 1825, when county surveyor Johnston Shelton marked off a five-acre public square in a 160-acre tract. The Jacksonville Downtown Historic District later earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places, and by 1868 the Jacksonville City Directory listed more than 200 businesses downtown, many on upper floors. Illinois announced $30 million in grants for downtown revitalization projects statewide in 2024, including Jacksonville.
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