After the death of Nelle Fabyan, the Fabyan Foundation was set up to distribute her assets to causes in the community she cared about, especially education. Among her assets were about 6 acres across Route 31 from the Fabyan Villa where the Riverbank Engineering laboratory, Riverbank Acoustics laboratory, and Lodge are located.
In the late 1990s, the Fabyan Foundation put the property up for sale alarming many in Geneva. The concern was that a new owner would demolish the historic structures. Geneva City Planner, Doug Kaare, filed a landmark application for the property over the objection of the Fabyan Foundation. Friends of Fabyan, Preservation Partners, and others supported the landmark during public hearings through the summer of 1998. The owners responded that landmarking the buildings would create restrictions that would be undesirable to potential buyers. This would cause, the owners believed, settling on a lower price and would reduce the amount of money the foundation could give back to the community. John Murphy, Geneva schools superintendent said, at the time, "I believe that the Fabyan legacy can be served by supporting the redevelopment of the [property]... The importance of the Fabyan Foundation's support to our schools cannot be overstated."
Click the photo above to learn how Riverbank Laboratories was saved from our former executive director, Elizabeth (Liz) Safanda. Incredibly, Safanda lived in the lodge next to the laboratories and has a funny story about it, so stick with the video until the end!
After months of negotiations among all the stakeholders, the Foundation sold the property to the Hackendahls who approved of the city landmarking the property and committed to restoring all the buildings.
In 2005, the Hackendahls were awarded a Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation award from Landmarks Illinois.
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PHOTO: Riverbank Engineering (right) and Riverbank Acoustics laboratories c. 1930, photo archives of Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley, St. Charles, Ill.
SOURCES: "Building Watch Updates," Advocate (Spring 1998), 4; "The Riverbank Labs Saga - A 'Winning' Resolution," Advocate (Spring 1999), 6; Jamey Fry, "Landmark or Not?" Geneva Republican, May 14, 1998; Jamey Fry, "Riverbank Labs Landmark Question Debated in Hearing," Geneva Republican, May 21, 1998; Jamey Fry, "Riverbank Labs Sold, Landmarked by Council," Geneva Republican, February 4, 1999; Elizabeth Safanda, "Saving Riverbank Laboratories," in "Preserving the Tri-Cities: A Fifty Year History of Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley," interviewed by Al Watts, September 13, 2023.