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During a public hearing on Tuesday featuring resident commentary and debate, Geneva’s Historic Preservation Commission once again said no to tearing down the historic blacksmith shop at 4 East State Street, keeping the nearly 180-year-old structure in place for now.
Unanimous rejection: The commission voted 7–0 on December 16 to deny the latest request to demolish the designated historic structure.
What was argued: The property owner said restoring the building isn’t cost-effective and that keeping it standing blocks future redevelopment; supporters of demolition called it an eyesore, while opponents warned against “demolition by neglect.”
Key standard debated: Officials focused on whether removing the building would truly be in the best interest of the majority of the community, saying they didn’t see enough new evidence to justify a change from past denials.
No redevelopment plan: The application only sought permission to demolish the structure and did not include any proposal for what would replace it.
Because the request was denied, the owner’s only next step would be to appeal the decision to the Geneva City Council, which could take up the issue at a future meeting.
A brief timeline of activity
The Historic Preservation Commission agenda included an overview of recent activity regarding the blacksmith shop, condensed below:
2017–2018: Property owner seeks demolition; a Geneva resident files a landmark nomination instead. City Council designates the blacksmith shop as a Historic Landmark in May 2018.
2019–2020: City-led planning group explores redevelopment of the former Mill Race Inn site, including concepts that would dismantle and reinterpret the landmark. City Council ultimately does not advance the redevelopment plan.
2022: Landmark boundaries are reduced to focus more tightly on the stone blacksmith shop, giving the owner more flexibility on the rest of the site.
2022–2024: Owner files new demolition and de-designation requests; the Historic Preservation Commission denies them. City Council and later a Kane County judge uphold the denial. Code enforcement actions follow over the building’s condition.
2025: Owner submits another demolition request, arguing the building’s retention is not in the community’s best interest. After a public hearing on December 16, the Historic Preservation Commission again unanimously denies demolition.
Watch the full City Council meeting recording and read more about the longstanding issue in this blog post from the Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley.
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