How The Roosevelt aims to fit into Geneva neighborhood
A couple of weeks ago, we focused on our cities’ streetscapes and how we tend to react quickly about new development based on what we first see.
A current example was the new construction unfolding on the east side of Geneva for The Roosevelt Project, a three-story, 7,000-square-foot building at East State Street and Crissey Avenue.
The project, which will house a Great Western Flooring showroom on the first floor and apartments on the second floor, sparked initial pro and con reactions on social media based mostly on its size representing a significant change in that part of Geneva.
Yet, we generally agree a new building should have curb appeal with nice landscaping. In that regard, The Roosevelt Project hits the right buttons that should make it a significant improvement to the city’s east gateway.
And that will play into what my previous column pointed out — that we get used to significant changes and, over time, see the improvement and benefit in what development can often bring.
Because we showed only a picture of the construction site last time, let’s make it easier to envision with an artist’s rendering of The Roosevelt.
I don’t consider myself much of a “building guy,” meaning most buildings look pretty good to me, including The Roosevelt.
But I notice landscaping improvements for an area in need of it and, though the artist rendering may not show exactly what is planned and we know it takes time for things to bloom, the plants and trees around this building should please everyone.
“We had to go through a few iterations of the landscaping, through feedback from the city and neighbors, who sought certain species,” said Steve Chirico, CEO of Great Western Flooring. “We want to make it as nice of a facility for the neighbors as we can.”
Part of that process of fitting into the neighborhood included assuring residents and other businesses nearby that the first floor will be a Great Western Flooring showroom, not a retail spot with customers constantly coming in and out.
“Basically, we’ll have no delivery trucks, no smells, no lighting and very little traffic; maybe about 16 to 20 people coming in a day,” Chirico noted.
Josh Voit, managing member of Roosevelt Holdings LLC, said the building was designed to fit in with Geneva.
“Our team has dedicated a tremendous amount of time to the building’s design, which blends vintage elements with modern accents,” Voit said. “The exterior will be clad in 110-year-old reclaimed brick and feature large, vintage-style windows.”
The development team’s goal is to help revitalize “this key gateway into downtown Geneva,” he added.
Voit also is excited about the future plantings and trees. “We have an elaborate, professionally-designed, 360-degree landscape plan that will further enhance the area and the project,” he noted.
Longtime Geneva residents know this area has, at times, featured vacant homes or lots. It has never fallen into the category of “eye catching.”
Parking in the rear will have spots for residents, Great Western Flooring clients and others, depending on what goes into the available space next to the showroom.
“At this time, we don’t know what will go into that space,” said Chirico, who was mayor of Naperville from 2015 to 2023 before returning to work at Great Western Flooring, his family’s business.
“It could be a service, like a dentist office, for example,” he said of the extra space. “And we want to have parking available for that.”
This type of information helps us better judge a new development beyond a first reaction based only on our eyes.
Ultimately, this could be the start of significant improvements for Geneva’s east gateway. It’s something elected officials, merchants and residents have sought for decades.
Welcoming for all
The public is invited to learn about what St. Charles is doing to ensure it is a city open to all.
Sponsored by the St. Charles Equity and Inclusion Commission, Mayor Clint Hull will moderate a Community Resources event from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, in the Carnegie Room at the St. Charles Public Library, 1 S. 6th Ave.
The session provides information about services and programs currently available, as well as opening discussions about concerns or ideas for new programs.
The commission includes representatives from the city of St. Charles, park district, library, township and school District 303.
The commission was established to assure that all residents, businesses, employees and visitors feel welcome in St. Charles.
After listening about proposals to enhance inclusivity, the commission makes recommendations to the city council, citing its goal to ensure the community is “open, inclusive, and welcoming to all individuals, regardless of age, gender, race, culture, sexual orientation, religion or abilities.”
Pre-registration for the event is not necessary.
Sweet stuff galore
I’m not the only one around here with a sweet tooth that won’t take no for an answer.
What other reason could there be for two upcoming events in which desserts, chocolate and cocoa carry the day?
The Geneva Chamber of Commerce says it is bringing back the Cocoa & Chocolate Crawl event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, for “a sweet stroll through Geneva.”
With so many businesses along Third and State streets involved in offering cocoa and chocolate drinks to visitors, it’s easy to see how this has been a popular event.
Those interested can purchase $26 tickets at genevachamber.com.
Then there’s the St. Charles Arts Council noting the Graceful Ordinary restaurant on Main Street is hosting the “Art of the Dessert,” a fundraising auction at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24, in which participants bid on more than 40 sweet creations from professional and local bakers.
Appetizers and champagne are part of the $60 event ticket that benefits community art programs. Tickets are available at stcharlesartscouncil.org.
An odd Halloween ‘trick’
Each Halloween brings back memories of a nightmarish experience about 40 years ago when the newspaper I worked at bought a new computer system.
It was pitched as the technology to replace typewriters, paper and editing pencils still in use, while reinforcing a switch to small computers and floppy discs at our desks.
After the conversion, we began to notice the system had a nasty glitch, as it would occasionally jumble stories by taking sentences or even just a few words of one story and sticking them just about anywhere in another.
It called for a Sherlock Holmes-style of attention to detail in looking over the copy being pasted on a page that eventually would become a plate on the press.
The nightmare included this dandy: The stories looked fine on the computer screen, but came out jumbled when galleys (newspaper columns) were output for pasteup.
One such jumble made it past all proofreaders and into print. It happened in an obituary right around Halloween.
The obituary started with correct information about the deceased, but in the middle of a sentence about visitation times, it turned into this:
“Visitation will take place at the Annual Ghost Hike at Fabyan Forest Preserve with an array of ghosts and goblins.”
It went on to provide more information totally suitable for an obituary. Luckily, the family had a great sense of humor and could see that something drastic happened, as an obituary writer at the funeral home or the newspaper could make such a ridiculous mistake.
All was forgiven, and the family had, quite possibly, the most unusual obituary in the history of the paper to share with others.
dheun@sbcglobal.net