Geneva Bottling Works, 302 N. River Lane, Geneva. Demolition NOT recommended on April 25, 2024, but could be overturned by the city council. Photo from City of Geneva, 2017.
Demolishing a historic building undeniably alters a community. The outcome, however, is not always negative. Certainly, part of the story of the past is lost which cannot be easily replaced. The character that defines the area surrounding the building is reoriented. Building materials that could be reused for sustainability are instead discarded into landfills. And yet, there are circumstances where demolition can remain the best option.
In the Tri-Cities of St. Charles, Geneva, and Batavia, historic preservation ordinances describe what conditions must be met to demolish a historic building or a building within a historic district. National Standards from the National Park Service provide further guidance. Local ordinances and national standards, however, are broad and each demolition request has unique challenges. It can be onerous to understand why one building is approved for demolition while another is not.
conditions for demolition in:
Batavia (city code: 12-6-3.C)
Geneva (city code: 10-6-10.B)
St. Charles (city code 17.32.G)
A few foundational criteria about a building generally determine whether the demolition of a historic building is appropriate: historic significance, structural condition, and integrity. While it is necessary to look at a city’s historic preservation ordinance for its specific requirements for demolition (see links in sidebar), all are similar enough for some broad generalizations. Importantly, the federal and state governments have no role in most cases, even for landmarked buildings. City Councils, after receiving a recommendation from their historic preservation commissions (HPC), have the final authority for a requested demolition of a historic structure.
The historic significance of a building is generally defined by its importance to the story of the people who engaged with it. The criteria from the National Park Service are that a significant event, person, and/or architecture is associated with the building.[1] Local historically significant building examples include:
Event – Riverbank Laboratories in Geneva for codebreaking during World War I that led to the creation of the National Security Agency (NSA).
Person – Hotel Baker in St. Charles for wealthy philanthropist, Colonel Edward Baker, who shaped the city with his generosity by building a community center, church, and the city’s municipal center as well as his hotel which brought significant tourism to the city.
Architecture - Campana in Batavia for its spectacular Art Deco artchitecture in a streamline moderne style.
The structural condition of a building is an obvious criterion that needs to be considered. Often this is provided by a structural engineer or the local fire marshal. Potential structural failure, however, is not the only structural condition to consider. One must also consider if it is reasonable for the building to be rehabilitated according to today’s building codes. With some creativity, this difficulty can often be overcome but when it cannot, demolition may be the best option.
The integrity of a historic building is not connected to its structural condition or its state of disrepair. Instead, integrity is generally determined by assessing the quality and quantity of the building’s remaining historic elements. The National Park Service recommends considering seven elements, such as location, design, and workmanship.[2] For purposes of considering basic criteria, the main question to answer is determining how much of the original building exists. If some historical elements are present, the building is contributing to the story and character of its place and demolition should be avoided. It is important to emphasize that an ugly, deteriorating building can still have high historical integrity.
The historic significance, structural condition, and integrity of a building are the foundations for determining whether the community would benefit if it were demolished. Each city’s ordinance has other specific considerations, and each building has unique circumstances. Nevertheless, if a building lacks historic significance, or is structurally deficient, or has low integrity, demolition, regrettably, can be of greater benefit to a community than its restoration and preservation.
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[1] National Park Service, “NHL Bulletin: Guidelines for Preparing National Historic Landmark Nominations,” National Historic Landmark Program (Washington D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, 2023), 40-55, https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalhistoriclandmarks/upload/NHL_Bulletin_508_Final_2023-09.pdf.
[2] Ibid., 56-75.
Answers:
A. No demo: historic significance for an event: the industrial development of Geneva (denied demolition in 2023)
B. Demo: limited historic significance (demolition expected in the next few years when redevelopment approved)
C. No demo: high integrity (demolition NOT recommended April 25, 2024, but may be overturned by the city council)
D. Demo: structural condition failing (demolition recommended by HPC May 15, 2024)
E. Demo: low integrity and poor structural condition (demolition recommended by HPC May 28, 2024).