Geneva must again deny demolition of former Mill Race Inn

The reignited debate in Geneva about the future of the former Mill Race Inn at 4 E. State Street begs the question: What’s changed since the Shodeen Group’s previous demolition requests?

The answer: Very little, at least from a factual perspective.

The first demolition request came in 2017. Geneva city officials denied it.

They then granted local landmark status to the limestone structure, originally home to the Alexander Blacksmith Shop. Since then, the historical value of the building, one of the oldest in the city, remains unchanged.

When Shodeen again asked to demolish the building in 2022, the city denied the request for the second time. Geneva taxpayers paid for an analysis of the structure, which found that it is economically viable for Shodeen to adaptively reuse the historic building as part of a public-private partnership, and that their plans to redevelop the rest of the site would not be significantly impacted.

To date, there is no evidence that Shodeen has considered that approach.

What may have shifted, and what the Shodeen Group appears to be banking on, is that Geneva residents and visitors are growing increasingly tired of seeing this building in a state of advanced disrepair. The latest demolition application attempts to capitalize on this sentiment, arguing that tearing it down is in the best interest of the community.

Yet if Shodeen is allowed to demolish the building it owns and has deliberately failed to maintain, the ramifications on the community would be widespread. For one, it would set a dangerous precedent in Geneva, giving property owners the green light to neglect and tear down historic landmarks if they’re willing to wait out public opinion.

It also threatens and diminishes the authority of Geneva’s Historic Preservation Ordinance, which was put into place not only to promote and protect the city’s historic sites and cultural heritage but also “to encourage new developments that will be harmonious with the existing historic buildings and neighborhoods.” Surely it is not in the community’s best interest to have an established ordinance undermined in this fashion.

Landmarks Illinois, which has advocated for the preservation of the former Mill Race Inn for the better part of the past decade, applauds Geneva’s Historic Preservation Commission and City Council for repeatedly voting to protect the historically significant building in the past. We urge the City Council to once again deny demolition at its Jan. 12 special meeting.

Let us not use the building owner’s deliberate inaction as a reason to give up on this irreplaceable piece of Geneva’s early history.

• Kendra Parzen is Advocacy Manager at Landmarks Illinois, the statewide historic preservation nonprofit.