Demolition of the Tin Shop building in downtown Batavia is underway.
The tearing down of the 19th century building at 106 N. River St. began on Tuesday, according to the city, and was set to last for three days.
The move is set to make way for a new downtown plaza in the city, which will include things like a public restroom facility and seating.
The future of the Tin Shop building, a property owned by the city, has long been in question.
In the years since the failed One Washington Place project, Batavia has been marketing the building and other city-owned properties. The city said it at one point received a proposal for the land and was negotiating the property’s sale and development, but it never entered into a formal contract and terminated negotiations in 2023.
Then, last January, the City Council voted for a certificate of appropriateness that paved the way for the Tin Shop building to either be relocated or demolished in the future. Because the structure, built in 1890, is within the city’s historic district, a certificate of appropriateness is required for exterior work on the building, including relocation and demolition.
At that meeting last January, Batavia Community and Economic Development Director Scott Buening said that part of the reason the city needed to get the demolition or relocation process underway when it did was because the tax increment financing funds the city intended to use to pay for the public restroom facility planned for the site were expiring at the end of the year.
The suggestion to either relocate or demolish the building had been recommended by the city’s Historic Preservation Commission, with the caveat that some of the materials from the building be salvaged. Buening previously said that it was going to cost nearly $1 million for the city to rehabilitate the building.
The City Council then returned to the matter in August, approving a contract with Fowler Enterprises for $33,450 to tear down the building. The city had said its preference was for the building to be moved as a whole or dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere, but that it would opt for demolition if it couldn’t find anyone to relocate it.
The city previously contracted Fowler Enterprises for demolition work at a property at 916 Park St., according to city documents.
The city has asked that the “sign” on the north side of the building be preserved, and that some of the wood from the building be reclaimed as long as it does not substantially interfere with the demolition process.
As for the downtown plaza, in July the City Council approved the purchase of the public restroom facility planned for the area, to the tune of around $330,000. The facility, which would be a double unit, cleans after each use and deep cleans every hour, and is set to be open year-round. The plaza is also set to include additional benches to meet demand for seating, particularly during busy times like the weekly farmers market.
mmorrow@chicagotribune.com
