Since 2017, the City of Geneva and the Mill Race Land Company, LLC. (a subsidiary of the Shodeen Group) have been at odds over what to do about the 1840s 30’x48’ limestone former blacksmith shop at 4 East State Street in Geneva. The disagreement has evolved from an issue over the preservation of this oldest industrial structure in Geneva to a legal matter regarding property maintenance.
The City’s building maintenance code requires that every building be appropriately maintained. There are many reasons a property owner cannot meet these requirements. None of those reasons should absolve the property owner of their responsibility to maintain their property. While the property owner of the former blacksmith shop is disappointed that the City has not approved any of their demolition requests, the code requires appropriate maintenance of the building, as it does of every other property owner.
When the former Mill Race Inn property was purchased in 2014, a spokesperson for the Shodeen family stated that, “Regardless of the final use we are committed to preserving the historical integrity of the site by incorporating the blacksmith portion of the current building with its historical significance into the planning process.”[1]
Since 2014, the property owner has largely neglected the historic structure. This neglect has caused the structure to deteriorate rapidly and become a significant eyesore.
In a recent article, the property owner stated,
“Shodeen has repeatedly attempted to provide the city with good faith, effective and rational approaches to protecting the Shell and/or incorporating the remnant stones into a proposed redevelopment plan. But the City has rejected each and every approach.”[2]
We are aware of four votes that City Council has taken on “a proposed redevelopment plan” by the property owner for this property:
2018: Demolition
The property owner submitted a demolition permit for the former blacksmith shop in December of 2017, but in May of 2018, the City Council voted to approve a local landmark for the blacksmith shop, effectively denying the owner’s demolition request.
2019: Charette
The property owner and city agreed to a charette process whereby the property owner presented three redevelopment options for citizens to review. None of the proposals received significant support from the public and the City Council voted against moving forward with any of the proposals.
2023: Demolition
The property owner submitted an application for demolition in late 2022 and, after months of hearings at the Historic Preservation Commission, the City Council voted to deny the demolition application.
2026: Demolition
In 2025, the property owner again submitted an application for demolition that the Historic Preservation Commission found to be substantially similar to the request denied in 2023. In January of 2026, the City Council, in a narrow vote, again denied the demolition application.
During the City Council meeting in January of 2026, the property owner did offer to create a monument with the limestone of the blacksmith shop in the redevelopment of the property yet offered no specifics. The City Council did not reject this offer. The City rejected only the demolition application.
The property owner is accurate in stating that it has presented multiple options for the property since 2018 that the City has rejected. Notably, three of the four options that have received votes by City Council were for demolition of the landmarked structure.
Meanwhile, the structure has continued to deteriorate.
After the second demolition request was denied in 2023, the City began to warn the property owner that if they did not conduct basic maintenance to the building, they could be fined. A year later, when there had been no action by the property owner, the City followed through on the threat and a judge ordered a fine of $750 per day in October of 2024 until the building was made “weather tight.” That fine currently exceeds $400,000.
No work was done on the property until April of 2026, when the building was covered with a white wrap. However, the wrap did not allow the city to verify that the building was appropriately protected. If the wrap is not properly ventilated, the limestone could deteriorate even more rapidly than it already had been, as explained in our blog here.
A court hearing has been set for June 18, 2026 so a judge can determine if the wrap meets the city’s building maintenance code.
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[1] Amie Schaenzer, “Shodeen Family Committed to Preserving ‘Historical Integrity’ of Mill Race Inn Property,” Patch.com, March 26, 2014, https://patch.com/illinois/geneva/shoeden-family-committed-to-preserving-historical-integrity-of-mill-race-inn-property.
[2] Brenda Schory, “Geneva Blacksmith Shop Shrink-Wrap Flap Persists; City Cites Developer Over Plastic Cover,” Kane County Chronicle, May 19, 2026, https://www.shawlocal.com/kane-county-chronicle/2026/05/19/geneva-blacksmith-shop-shrink-wrap-flap-persists-city-cites-developer-over-plastic-cover/.