Batavia's Committee of the Whole will consider a request at its Tuesday (8/25) meeting to demolish the former Hubbard's Home Furnishings building at 14-18 N. Batavia Ave., which has been vacant since 2019 after more than a century as a fixture of the downtown corridor.

City staff is recommending the committee deny the request, even though Batavia's Historic Preservation Commission voted 5-0 last October to recommend approval of the Certificate of Appropriateness for demolition.

Some background and context: Batavia United Methodist Church, which has owned the property since 2015, wants to tear down the building and plant grass on the site and potentially expand church operations there at some point. No specific building plans or timeline have been submitted yet.

Why staff is recommending denial: City agenda documents say the recommendation is “based primarily on the absence of a comprehensive redevelopment plan for the property.” City staff expressed concerns about disrupting the streetwall by removing a storefront from a stretch of North Batavia Avenue that the city's Downtown Plan identifies as important to keep comfortable and walkable. Staff notes that with no redevelopment plan, the property could sit vacant indefinitely if demolished.

The Historic Preservation Commission recommended approval: After two public meetings and an on-site tour in October 2025, the commission voted 5-0 to recommend approving demolition, with conditions including landscaping and field-stone treatment on the property. The building is classified as "non-contributing" to the historic district, and in Batavia a non-contributing structure doesn't have to meet specific demolition criteria to be approved.

Preservation experts weigh in: Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley submitted letters to the commission and published this blog post saying that demolition would be justified based on the city's demolition standards, citing the cost of bringing the six connected structures up to modern building code, fire risk concerns for the historic 1887 church next door, and the fact that the building hasn’t retained a significant portion of its historic character over time.

According to Preservation Partners, the property's oldest section dates to a small wood-framed church built around 1842, later converted into a furniture store in 1897. The site eventually held a gymnasium, which hosted home games for Batavia High School's 1912 state championship basketball team, and a portion of that original gym floor still exists inside.

If the committee recommends approval, staff proposed several conditions, including the installation of landscaping along the sidewalk, the removal of the driveway connecting to North Batavia Avenue, and the restoration of the site to grass with a barrier to keep vehicles off it.

If the request is denied, the church can’t reapply for a year, though it could still pursue other improvements to the property.

No vote will happen Tuesday. A recommendation from the committee would head to the full City Council for final action on September 8.

Here’s the full agenda packet.

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