GENEVA – Geneva’s circa 1843 blacksmith shop at the former Mill Race property has been declared one of the nine Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois for 2023, according to an announcement by Landmarks Illinois on May 4.

Landmarks Illinois is a historic preservation nonprofit organization. The list calls attention to “culturally and architecturally significant sites across the state that face growing threats of disinvestment and demolition.”

“Our 2023 most endangered sites show willful disregard for the proven environmental, social and economic benefits of reusing historic buildings,” president and CEO Bonnie McDonald said in a news release. “We will continue to work with local residents and elected officials, as well as building and preservation professionals, to develop solutions for the reuse of these threatened places.”

At almost 180 years old, the locally landmarked limestone structure at 4 E. State St., Geneva – the Alexander Brothers Blacksmith Shop – is one of the oldest-surviving commercial buildings in Geneva and represents an important part of the city’s industrial past, according to the release.

After an unsuccessful demolition attempt in 2018, the structure’s owner, the Shodeen Family Foundation, once again is seeking to tear it down, according to the release.

The release refers to a pending request before the Geneva Historic Preservation Commission to remove the blacksmith shop’s local historic landmark designation and permit its demolition. The public hearing has been continued to June 20.

Demolition should be a last resort if the owner has no other alternatives, an issue disputed between David Patzelt, representing the Shodeen Family Foundation, and preservationists, such as Landmarks Illinois representatives, who have argued against it.

Other historic sites considered endangered include:

• A historic wooden bridge in Richmond in McHenry County that was built in the mid-1800s. The city-owned landmark is the last of two wooden bridges constructed in Richmond’s early settlement years. A lack of maintenance and no plan for its preservation mean the bridge faces possible demolition by neglect, according to the release.

• An oak cottage built circa 1850 in DuPage County as a home for William Briggs Greene. Landmarks Illinois considers the cottage an important piece of local agricultural history. The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, which owns the property, is evaluating demolishing the cottage for open space if a third party does not propose a viable reuse for it, according to the release.