Figure 1: Overhead view of Geneva’s 1840s blacksmith shop. Courtesy of the City of Geneva, 2019.
For over seven years, preservationists and the owner of 4 E. State Street in Geneva (the former Mill Race Inn) have been at odds over what to do with the 30’x48’ limestone blacksmith shop on the property that was built in the 1840s. While it has been altered over time as its use has evolved, the structure is the oldest surviving industrial structure and the last remaining building that used water to power machinery in Geneva. For more on the building's historic significance, please read our brief history of the building here.
Preservationists want the stone structure to be incorporated into a redevelopment of the site so that its story can remain part of Geneva's legacy. Supporters of demolition consider the structure an eyesore and an obstacle to the much-needed redevelopment of the site.
If you would like to submit public comments, email them to Emily Stood, Geneva Preservation Planner, at estood@geneva.il.us.
Compromise has been elusive. On Tuesday, December 16, 2025, for the third time in seven years, the owner is asking the City of Geneva to allow the building to be demolished.
The demolition of the non-historic foundation west of the blacksmith shop (seen in Figure 1), which is frequently filled with water, and the deteriorating pavilion south of the blacksmith shop, however, are NOT included in this demolition request and would remain, according to the application.
REASONS FOR DEMOLITION
According to Geneva's Historic Preservation Ordinance, a historic building must meet at least one of four criteria to be approved for demolition. In this demolition application, the owner argues that their application meets criterion 10-6-10-B.4 of the ordinance, which states:
"The retention of a building, structure, object, improvement, or site is not in the best interest of the majority of the community."
In its application, the owner argues that, "The stone remnant structure stands in the way of [redevelopment] Goals that are supported by the City Council and the public testimony at the hearings establishing these goals.”[1] The application includes over a dozen letters supporting demolition that you can read here.
The demolition application appears to argue that the majority of the community wants the blacksmith shop demolished.
The demolition application notes that numerous city master plans and City Council meetings, all with broad public input, have indicated a desire for the site's redevelopment.
What that redevelopment looks like, however, has largely been the cause of the ongoing dispute.
REASONS FOR PRESERVATION
Preservationists have countered that the significant history tied to the former blacksmith shop is worth the effort and cost to find a way to preserve it. The structure, while not architecturally magnificent, is rare and demonstrates how early settlers built Geneva and how later generations found numerous ways to reuse the simple structure. Furthermore, preservationists note that the structure used the Fox River to power simple machinery and is the last such building remaining in Geneva.
The redevelopment of 4 E. State Street is also the goal of many preservationists. While a few would like it to be a museum, most would like to see it incorporated somehow into a new development at this prominent location in the city. Ideas for reuse, such as using it as a picnic shelter, small storage facility, or community space, are among many suggestions that have been offered. None of these suggestions appears to have been considered by the owner.
LEGAL ARGUMENTS
After being denied unanimously in September 2023 by both the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) and City Council, the property owner sued the City of Geneva, claiming that the City erred in not approving the building’s demolition. In June of 2024, Kane County Circuit Court Judge Kevin Busch sided with the City, affirming the decision by the City to deny demolition.[2]
The City then notified the owner that the structure was in violation of the City’s building code, asking that the property owner either provide the City with a redevelopment plan or adequately maintain the building until a plan could be presented. Neither a redevelopment plan nor building maintenance was completed by the owner. After several hearings with the code officer, a judgment was issued of a fine of $750 per day starting on October 17, 2024, until the building was made “weather-tight.”[3]
Again, the property owner sued the City, claiming that the fine was unfair and illegal. Nearly a year later, in September of 2025, Kane County Circuit Court Judge Elizabeth Flood affirmed the legality of the fine.[4] As of this date, the property owner owes the City of Geneva over $300,000 in fines.
NOT ADDRESSED IN DEMOLITION APPLICATION
Timetable for redevelopment. The application states that demolition of the historic structure would occur within 90 days after the permit is issued, but there does not appear to be any indication as to when a redevelopment proposal would be brought to the City. If the stated purpose of demolition is to spark redevelopment, the potential challenges of redevelopment and a rough timetable would help determine the benefits to the public of the demolition of this historic structure.
The reason behind this concern is that demolition does not always result in redevelopment. According to a 2024 study of the historic districts in San Antonio, Texas, by PlaceEconomics.com, as one example, “Of all parcels with a primary structure demolition [between 2010 and 2023], 62.6% have either remained vacant or became a parking lot,” (emphasis added).[5] A long-term vacant parcel in a prominent location would not necessarily be better for the community than leaving the blacksmith shop standing at this time.
Remaining structures on the property. The non-historic concrete foundation of the former Mill Race Inn restaurant, which is directly west of the blacksmith shop, and the wooden pavilion near the river, south of the blacksmith shop, are not included in this demolition application. It would be helpful to know if or when these structures might be demolished. A prominent parcel in the city would not necessarily be better off with the blacksmith shop demolished while other deteriorated structures remain.
Building code violation fines. As noted above, one judge affirmed that the City acted legally when it denied a demolition permit in 2023. Another judge ruled that the fines assessed to the property owner for building code violations are legal and appropriate. To date, the property owner owes over $300,000 in fines to the City. Building code enforcement is a successful tool nationwide for preserving historic structures (read more here). If a property that violates a City’s building code can be demolished without at least a portion of the legally affirmed fines collected, it could undermine building code enforcement as a tool for preserving historic structures in the future.
MOVING FORWARD
Many in the community have been vocally in favor of demolition. Many have also been vocally opposed to demolition. Generally, we find that the preservation of historic buildings is in the best interest of the community. However, we are not qualified to judge what the “majority of the community” wants. Determining what the majority of the community wants is best made by the Geneva Historic Preservation Commission and the Geneva City Council.
Nevertheless, there is an opportunity for the former blacksmith shop to be part of a larger redevelopment at a minimal cost to the property owner. Collaboration between the public and the owner, with that goal in mind, would likely accomplish something the community could be proud of that honors the legacy of Geneva’s industrial past and stimulates Geneva’s future.
MORE INFORMATION
Geneva’s Blacksmith Shop/Mill Race Inn: A Brief History.
Demolition Application for 4 East State Street, Geneva.
Agenda for City of Geneva, Historic Preservation Commission, December 16, 2025.
Brenda Schory, “Shodeen Seeks Demolition—Again—for Old Blacksmith Shop.” Kane County Chronicle, November 10, 20256.
Brenda Schory, “Shodeen Shot Down in Showdown: Judge Affirms Geneva Ruling on 1840s Blacksmith Shop Tarp Dispute.” Kane County Chronicle, October 5, 2025.
Brenda Schory, “Geneva, Developers Duke it Out in Court Over Blacksmith Shop from 1840s.” Kane County Chronicle, September 17, 2025.
Brenda Schory, “Hearing Officer: Shodeen Liable for $27K Fine for Blacksmith Shop’s Condition.” Kane County Chronicle, December 3, 2024.
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[1] David A. Patzelt to Emily Stood, Applicant Letter, “4 East State Street Stone Remnant Structure (Blacksmith Shop) Demolition Permit Application,” December 5, 2025, 7, https://www.geneva.il.us/DocumentCenter/View/16662/Applicant-Letter---12525pdf.
[2] City of Geneva, Historic Preservation Commission, “Agenda Item 4A 4 East State Permit Review,” December 16, 2025, 4, https://www.geneva.il.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_12162025-2633; see also Shodeen Family Foundation an Illinois Not For Profit Corporation et al v. City of Geneva et al, Case# 2023-MR-000321, 16th Judicial Circuit, filed October 27, 2023, https://kanecoportal.co.kane.il.us/portal.
[3] Brenda Schory, “Hearing Officer: Shodeen Liable for $27K Fine for Blacksmith Shop’s Condition,” Kane County Chronicle, December 3, 2024, https://www.shawlocal.com/kane-county-chronicle/2024/12/03/hearing-officer-shodeen-liable-for-27k-fine-for-blacksmith-shops-condition/; see also, City of Geneva v. Shodeen Family Foundation, Docket# 2023-0805, Code Hearing Division, General Adjudication, hearing date November 21, 2024.
[4] City of Geneva, Historic Preservation Commission, “Agenda Item 4A 4 East State Permit Review,” December 16, 2025, 3, https://www.geneva.il.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_12162025-2633; see also Shodeen Family Foundation et al v. City of Geneva, Case# 2024-MR-000400, 16th Judicial Circuit, filed October 17, 2024, https://kanecoportal.co.kane.il.us/portal.
[5] PlaceEconomics, “Diversity, Demolition, and Housing in San Antonio’s Historic Districts,” July 2024, 12, https://www.placeeconomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/San-Antonio-Diversity-and-Demolitions_edited_AUGUST6.pdf.