Batavia’s historic Tin Shop building expected to be demolished by Nov. 16

A 135-year-old building in downtown Batavia will be leveled this fall to make way for public restrooms.

The tin shop building, a large two-story wooden structure at 106 N River St., was built in 1890 and purchased by the city in 2016.

City Council members condemned the building to be demolished in January, and took another step towards razing the structure at their Aug. 18 meeting, when they approved a contract for the demolition work.

The city will pay $33,450 to South Elgin-based contractor Fowler Enterprises LLC to demolish the tin shop. The building is expected to be gone by mid-November.

The city bought the tin shop in 2016 as part of a $1.25 million acquisition of property on both sides of River Street between State and Franklin streets for a redevelopment project that eventually was terminated.

Since 2018, the site has seen a string of failed marketing and redevelopment attempts, including a rehabilitation project in 2024 that was deemed financially infeasible after the city reviewed proposals.

The building has been used intermittently as storage space, but has been largely vacant for several years and is in poor condition.

The city’s urgency to remove the Tin Shop comes from two factors: the need for public restrooms in that area of downtown, and TIF funds that are available for Americans with Disabilities Act improvements, including the planned restrooms, which will expire at the end of the year.

The Tin Shop is classified as “contributing” to the city’s downtown historic district; therefore, a Certificate of Appropriateness was required to allow for demolition of the building.

Council members approved the COA authorizing the demolition in a split vote during a January Council meeting. Aldermen Leah Leman, Kevin Malone, Sarah Vogelsinger and former Alderman Mark Uher voted against the demolition.

In March, council members approved another step towards demolition by issuing a request for proposals to conduct the demolition.

The city received four bids, the lowest of which came from Hampshire-based demolition contractor Fowler Enterprises LLC, at $33,450.

City Council members approved the contract with Fowler Enterprises in an unanimous vote.

The demolition work is expected to be completed within 90 days of the award date, which falls on Nov. 16.

Along with razing the tin shop, the city requested that the sign on the north side of the building be preserved, and wood from the structure be reclaimed, wherever possible.