Request to tear down part of historic Geneva blacksmith shop withdrawn
A petition to demolish a portion of the historic blacksmith shop in downtown Geneva has been withdrawn as the property’s owner continues to discuss its future with city officials.
The Shodeen Family Foundation filed a request with the city June 27 to “demolish and remove the existing wood roof structure due to fire damage, rot and general deterioration, down to the top surface of the stone walls,” records show.
David Patzelt, president of the Shodeen group, said it was decided to withdraw the application because of the ongoing talks with Geneva officials.
“The thought was that since we are having some discussions — good discussions — with the city of Geneva, and in keeping with our long history or practice of working with the city of Geneva, we thought it apropos to withdraw that application and see if we can continue those discussions before taking any further action,” Patzelt said.
The circa 1843 Alexander Brothers’ Blacksmith Shop has Historic Landmark designation. It was declared one of nine Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois for 2023 by Landmarks Illinois, a historic preservation nonprofit.
Shortly after losing a lawsuit June 10 against the city because it denied a full demolition of the former blacksmith shop, Shodeen filed a request for the partial demolition.
The owners also want to remove the temporary wood-framed walls and install a protective tarpaulin covering over the exposed surface, records show.
Patzelt would not comment further about plans to deal with the fire damaged roof and other deterioration.
Shodeen bought the 1.3 acre site on the corner of Illinois Routes 38 and 25 in 2014.
The foundation, which now owns the site, lobbied to be allowed to demolish the former blacksmith shop because it was too expensive to restore or repurpose.
Preservationists countered that the company was not considering all its options for potential reuse of the historic site.