Politics & Government
Should Batavia's Former First Baptist Church Be Saved?
Batavia to host a July 30 open house at the former First Baptist Church facility to answer questions and discuss redevelopment options.
Should the former First Baptist Church facility be torn down or restored and preserved?
That's at the core of a discussion the city of Batavia will soon be having regarding redevelopment options for the former church facility located at the northwest corner of Wilson and Washington Streets.
The city will be contemplating several options, ranging from full rehabilitation and reuse to building demolition. And as part of the process, officials for hoping for as much feedback as they can get.
In preparation for the discussions, the city will be hosting an open house at the
facility at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 30. The public is welcome to tour the facility, and city representatives will be present to answer questions.
In an interview with The Beacon News, Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke said the city is just not in a financial situation to be able drop a lot of money on restoring the building, which dates back to 1889.
The city purchased the property around 2006 in anticipation of a state of Illinois plan to reconfigure the jog in Route 25. Those plans never came to pass, and the city has been trying to figure out what to do with the church since the congregation moved out in 2008, the Daily Herald reports.
A consultant told the city that repairs could cost as much as $3.5 million. That compares to a cost of about $146,250 to demolish all three buildings on the site.
