Editor's note: This is the seventh of a 10-part countdown of articles looking back at the Geneva newsmakers of 2012. The No. 1 newsmaker will be Geneva Patch's 2012 "Person of the Year."
Yes, Joe Stanton was the Wood Award winner in 2011—but he was a newsmaker in 2012 because of his association with one of the top stories of the year: the possible demolition of the Pure Oil Building.
On Feb. 21, Geneva Historic Preservation Commission voted 5-1 to deny a demolition permit for the blue-roofed former gas station that was at the time the home of The Pure Gardener, 502 W. State St.
Stanton, who owns the building as well as the one next door to the west, argued alongside commercial architect Jeffrey Lietz and St. Charles Bank & Trust President Tom Hansen that it would cost $360,000 to modernize the interior, an investment Stanton said would prohibit any adaptive reuse of the building. Commission members also heard testimony from community members, who pleaded to keep the building intact.
The City Council Committee of the Whole heard more empassioned pleas from the community on April 2, when it upheld the decision to deny demolition with an 8-2 vote, sending Stanton back to the drawing board.
In May, Stanton returned with new plans—calling for an adaptive reuse of the building as a component of the bank drive-through. The plan preserves the shell of the facade facing State Street, but demolishes the back part of the building. This time, the HPC said OK, the Plan Commission OK'd the plans in August and the City Council agreed.
Work around the building began in November.
For Stanton, it was affirmation of the old adage, "if at first you don't succeed ... " and confirmation of his ability to get things done. For the community, it was a reminder that downtown development and historic preservation can mix and that the voice of a community can be heard.
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Jack
10:43 am on Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Yeah, thanks a lot, Joe, for desecrating both a great old building and a very appropriate use for it as the "Pure Gardener". That kind of "getting things done" we can do without. What was your second choice, a drive-through liquor store?