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60 Years Ago: The Most Devastating Downtown Fire in Geneva History
The Geneva Ace Hardware fire in 1953 burns to the ground most of the south side of the 100 block of West State Street, including the First National Bank.
Sixty years ago tomorrow, on the bitter cold and windy night of Sunday, Feb. 1, 1953, the clock at the First National Bank of Geneva stopped at 7:45 p.m., marking the apex of the Geneva Ace Hardware fire—very likely the worst downtown fire in Geneva history. And though he was just a boy at the time, longtime Tri-Com Central Dispatch Director Jerry Bleck, now retired, carries memories of the devastation to this day and compares it to the other well-known Geneva downtown fires. "I was only 4 years old in 1953, so a little young to have many of the fire details," Bleck said in an e-mail to Geneva Patch. "However, I had been working for the Geneva Police Department for eight years and Tri-Com and 9-1-1 was just 2 years old when the Kaiser's …
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Colin C.
2:32 pm on Friday, February 1, 2013
I remember the Ace fire very well. I was eleven. My father, Stephen Senyard, was assisting the fire department with technical training at the time. He was called first when the blaze started. My mother and I walked from our house on Sixth Street and could only go as far as Nelson's (Doggie Divine today). I was very frightened because my family always talked about the Great Chicago Fire. (My great… more ›