Wednesday, May 8, 2013
The city of Geneva's Historic Preservation Commission is holding a citywide photo contest in honor of National Preservation Month.
The city of Geneva Historic Preservation Commission is sponsoring a citywide photography contest honoring National Preservation Month (May 2013). Interested individuals are invited to submit a digital photographic entry, consisting of two images, which capture the materials of the city's historic architecture. Contest winners will be awarded great prizes! Residents interested in participating must submit an entry form along with two, original photos (a general view and an associated detail) of a treasured historic building, structure, object or place within the municipal boundaries of the city of Geneva. Entry forms are available online or at Geneva City Hall. Entries will be accepted from 3 p.m. April 26, 2013 until 4 p.m. May 20, 2013. …
Friday, January 11, 2013
Geneva's Historic Preservation Commission will vote Tuesday on whether to endorse the nomination of the controversial Pure Oil Building into the National Register. Joe Stanton no longer owns the property.
Geneva's Pure Oil Building has been nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, and Geneva's Historic Preservation Commission has been asked to give its seal of approval in a vote Tuesday. According to the HPC agenda packet, "the former Pure Oil Service State has been recommended for consideration under National Register Criterion C as a representative property possessing “distinctive characteristics of a type, period or method of construction.” The meeting takes place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 15, at City Hall. The HPC is a recommending body, so the full City Council would have to approve the action. That has to be done prior to Feb. 22, when the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council is scheduled to review the case. The owner …
41.88836
-88.31109
502 W State St, Geneva, IL
/articles/pure-oil-building-nominated-for-national-register-of-historic-places-hpc-vote-tuesday
/locations/8597621
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
"Landmarking" is an option for anyone in Geneva who wants to protect a building from demolition. Now a citizen's group is beginning the process for the Coultrap facility.
A Geneva Patch blogger and member of the Historic Preservation Commission said Wednesday that a citizens group has started a process to give local "landmark" status to the Coultrap building. Mike Bruno wrote a blog about the local landmarking process, which was published on Geneva Patch at 10 a.m. Wednesday. By the afternoon, a group of citizens had approached city of Geneva's Community Development Director Dick Untch about how to start the process for the Coultrap facility, which is being considered for demolition by School District 304. It's not a quick process. The procedure is as follows: "A public hearing is required to be conducted by the HPC on landmark applications. The landmark designation process requires mailing the public …
41.89081
-88.31847
School District 304 Coultrap Facility
1113 Peyton St, Geneva, IL
/articles/citizens-group-begins-landmarking-coultrap
1760139
/locations/7279023
Monday, June 11, 2012
HPC sends a respectful letter to School District 304 asking to preserve the building as an adaptive re-use. Meanwhile, School District 304 sets dates for community forums.
Members of Geneva's Historic Preservation Commission have drafted a letter to the Geneva School Board asking that board members consider an adaptive re-use rather than a teardown of the historic Coultrap facility. Community Development Director Dick Untch said Friday that the letter has been forwarded to Mayor Kevin Burns, but he wasn't sure whether the letter had reached School District 304 officials. The letter emphasizes that the HPC has no formal authority in the matter, since the Coultrap facility at 1113 Peyton St., lies outside the Historic Preservation District. "The commission basically asked the mayor to engage in some dialogue about the future of Coultrap," Untch said. "Maybe the obvious concern is to make sure if there is some …
41.89081
-88.31847
School District 304 Coultrap Facility
1113 Peyton St, Geneva, IL
/articles/hpc-to-school-district-consider-adaptive-re-use-of-coultrap-forums-coming-in-june
1760139
/locations/7185129
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Geneva's HPC gives the go-ahead for plans to build a bank driver-through in the former Pure Oil Building.
Meeting at the Geneva Fire Department headquarters Tuesday night, the city's Historic Preservation Commission gave a cool thumbs up to plans for a bank drive-through that will preserve much of the historic Pure Oil Building. Commissioners voted 7-0 to accept the landscape plan and the demolition of the south part of the Pure Oil building as presented by Geneva developer Joe Stanton and St. Charles Bank & Trust. The plans also call for demolition of the building at 12 S. Fifth St. and the exterior modification of the "Stanton" building at 514 West State St. Most of the issues Tuesday were minor ones, including some adjustments on the landscaping plan so that signage could be pulled within the lot lines. The HPC still will review the …
41.88836
-88.31109
The Pure Gardener
502 W State St, Geneva, IL
/articles/pure-oil-plans-ok-d-by-the-historic-preservation-commission-plan-commission-next
319715
/locations/7118022
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Don't underestimate yourselves, Genevans. You have more power than you think!
OK. I’m not terribly thrilled with the recent turn of events regarding the Pure Oil building, either. While it’s gratifying to see the building will survive, one can’t escape the fact that, after property owner Joe Stanton insistently told each and every alderman it could not be converted to a bank drive-through—or any other use—it’s going to be converted to a bank drive-through. That little paradox might just redefine the term “disingenuous.” Not only that, but until St. Charles Bank agreed to go along with this non-destructive re-adaptation plan, Stanton had the paperwork to sue the city all initialed and ready to go. Talk about someone who won’t take no for an answer. Though I’m certain the city administration would not have made any …
41.88836
-88.31109
502 W State St, Geneva, IL
/articles/jeff-ward-if-you-don-t-like-the-new-pure-oil-building-plan-consider-this
/locations/7030824
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Property owner's appeal denied amid strong opposition to plan that included demolition of historic building.
Upholding Geneva's historic integrity still outweighs the financial issues faced by the owner of the Pure Oil property on State Street. The City Council's Committee of the Whole sent that message Monday night when it upheld the Historic Presentation Commission's February decision to deny developer Joe Stanton's plan for the land at 502 W. State. The committee, after more than three hours of testimony and debate, voted 7-3 to back the HPC decision, with aldermen Sam Hill, Richard Marks and Dawn Vogelsberg unsuccessfully voting to move the appeal to the City Council. Stanton has proposed a move to put a bank drive-through on the property and, in doing so, tearing down the Pure Oil Building. The HPC shot down the idea in a 5-1 vote, …
41.88836
-88.31109
The Pure Gardener
502 W State St, Geneva, IL
/articles/committee-upholds-pure-oil-decision
319807
/locations/6671465
Monday, March 26, 2012
Meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight at City Hall.
The City Council's Committee of the Whole will hear an appeal tonight on the rejected plans that include demolition of the Pure Oil Building. Last month, the Historic Preservation Commission rejected a developer's plans to tear down the building in the 500 block of West State Street to make way for a bank. Click here to see the entire agenda for tonight's meeting. The 129-page background information packet can be found here.
41.88836
-88.31109
The Pure Gardener
502 W State St, Geneva, IL
/articles/committee-of-the-whole-to-hear-appeal-on-pure-oil-decision
319807
/locations/6663056
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
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 …
41.88836
-88.31109
The Pure Gardener
502 W State St, Geneva, IL
/articles/quickstory-hpc-votes-5-1-against-demolishing-pure-oil-building
319807
/locations/7318756
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Here are the plans presented to the Geneva Historic Preservation Commission on Tuesday, July 19.
The Geneva Historic Preservation Commission will take a look at the first proposal to renovate the building at 109 Peyton Street from a multiple-use residence to bed and breakfast. The commission meets at 7 p.m. tonight (Tuesday, July 19) at City Hall. The City Council gave the go-ahead to the new B&B in a 6-4 vote on April 18. Fifth Ward Alderman Craig Maladra changed his vote from a "nay" at the Committee of the Whole to an "aye" at the full council, breaking what had been a 5-5 deadlock. "This is one of the few times I’m uncertain about what to do," the 5th Ward alderman said. "I have a concern about waking up one day next to a business. We can say it’s a low-intensity use, but so is a law office, and we don’t allow law offices. … (But…
41.88968
-88.30486
109 Peyton St, Geneva, IL
/articles/historic-preservation-commission-at-7-pm-reviews-these-plans-for-genevas-new-bed-breakfast
/locations/4885814
Colin C.
11:27 am on Tuesday, January 15, 2013
That's a great point Mike. There are just so many priceless ironies in this story but in the end it seem that Geneva will get a renovated, repurposed Pure Oil building that may be well protected and saved for the future. more ›