The Tin Shop building at 106 N River St. in downtown Batavia was built in 1890 and has been vacant for several years. The city purchased the building in 2017 and wants to relocate or demolish it.
David Petesch/Shaw Local News Network
The city of Batavia is looking to remove a historic building from a site in the downtown.
The Tin Shop building is a large two-story wooden structure built in 1890 at 106 N. River St.
Because it’s classified as “contributing” to the city’s downtown historic district, the city must receive a Certificate of Appropriateness to allow for a relocation or demolition of the building, which has been vacant for several years.
The city bought the Tin Shop building in 2017 when it spent $1.25 million to acquire property on both sides of River Street, between State and Franklin streets.
The structures on the west side of the street along the river were torn down to construct a parking lot and make way for a mix-use development by Shodeen Construction called One Washington Way, but the project was eventually terminated.
Earlier this year, city officials proposed a rehabilitation project for the building. After receiving several proposals, they decided the cost was too high and terminated the project.
According to the COA request submitted by Community and Economic Development Director Scott Buening, the Tin Shop is in poor condition due to a leaking roof and lack of use.
Batavia Building Commissioner Jeff Albertson presented the COA request on behalf of the city at the Batavia Historic Preservation Commission meeting on Monday.
Albertson told the commission that the city submitted multiple requests to developers to convert the building into something useful, but the costs weren’t feasible. He said they are seeking the COA because of the building’s poor condition.
Albertson said the intention is to market the building to individuals to see if there is a desire to relocate it to another site, either by dismantling and rebuilding or moving the building as a whole.
If an interested party cannot be found, the city would look to demolish the building.
Before the meeting, commission members toured the Tin Shop. Because of safety concerns, only one to two members could tour the building at a time.
After the tour, Commission Chair Phil Bus said he was amazed by the poor state of the building.
“It is so badly deteriorated, it was an eye-opener for me,” Bus said.
In an email, Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley member Daniel Russo urged the commission to deny the COA request due to the building’s historical significance.
Commission members recommended approval of the COA request in a unanimous vote.
The COA request is expected to return before the city council for possible final approval in January.
The city also owns the adjacent garage at 112 N River St. and uses it for storing city equipment. Because the garage does not have historical significance, the city plans to seek a COA to demolish the structure if the COA is approved for the Tin Shop building.