QuickStory: HPC Votes 5-1 Against Demolishing Pure Oil Building
Geneva's Historic Preservation Commission recommends that the city does not grant a demolition permit for the present home of The PURE Gardener.
With the applause of about 50 passionate spectators, Geneva's Historic Preservation Commission voted 5-1 Tuesday to deny demolition of the former Pure Oil gas station, today's home of The PURE Gardener, at 502 W. State St. The six-member recommending body voted against a request for a demolition permit despite a thorough case made by property owner Joe Stanton, commercial architect Jeffrey Lietz and St. Charles Bank & Trust President Tom Hansen that an adaptive reuse of the property simply was not a viable option. Stanton developed at least five separate plans since 2007 that would have kept the historic building intact. The third iteration—to restore the outside of the existing building and modernize the interior—would require a $360,000 …
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Terry Flanagan
1:56 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Tearing down an historic building to build a bank just doesn't seem to be the most creative option for this property. I'm sure Joe has worked diligently to find a use for the property that wouldn't bankrupt him, but a bank? We have almost two dozen banking facilities in Geneva and our population is under 22,000, a third of whom are under the age of 18. At what point do we reach saturation? You … more ›