Figure 1. West wall of the interior of Geneva’s 1840s blacksmith shop. Photo by AltusWorks, 2022.
The third time was not the charm for the owner of Geneva’s 1840s blacksmith shop, barely.
Six (6) of the alderpersons of the Geneva City Council—a majority—voted in favor of demolition at a special meeting on January 12, 2026. However, a supermajority of seven (7) was required because Geneva’s Historic Preservation Commission had denied the demolition request a month earlier. This meant that the demolition request failed by one vote.
Many just want this saga to end.
The majority’s consensus seemed to be exhaustion. For the last eight years, the property owner and the City of Geneva have failed to find a rehabilitation solution for the structure or a redevelopment plan for the riverfront property. Even though the city is fining the property owner $750/day for not adequately maintaining the structure—a fine now totaling over $300,000 and growing—nothing has changed with the property in eight years.
Why hasn’t there been a redevelopment plan?
At the meeting, the owner offered to submit a redevelopment concept plan to the city within 90 days if the city approved the demolition of the historic structure. This offer seemed to satisfy the majority of the City Council.
However, Alderwoman Anaïs Bowring of the First Ward pointed out that nothing has prevented the property owner from bringing any such redevelopment concept plan to the city over the past eight years. Why, Bowring wondered, should the City approve this demolition when the property owner is “holding this property hostage” to redevelopment until they get their demolition permit?[1] “Rather than pursuing the process, which they could at any time,” Bowring continued, “…they are now, essentially, trying to sweeten the pot for demolition by suggesting they will finally give a proposal. To me, that does not feel right.”[2]
So, what’s next?
The next chapter in this saga is unclear. The property owner seems uninterested in maintaining the historic building or bringing forward a redevelopment concept plan that the city could consider if they are not allowed to demolish the stone structure. The city remains opposed to demolition. Building code violation fines to the property owner from the city continue to accumulate. Solutions from a complete rehabilitation to demolition and many options in between are possible if the city and property owner can make some compromises.
Watch this space! We’re following this closely.
For more on the building's historic significance, please read our brief history of the building.
To learn more about the twists and turns in the last three years of this issue, read our blog post series here.
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[1] Anaïs Bowring, Special Meeting of the Geneva City Council, January 12, 2026, 12:34, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaLP2gGKM4A&list=PL2RcDAtn25qfyiPaxDt4EXCBhI018uMN1&index=2
[2] Ibid., 1:13:36.