Geneva neighbors fret 100-year-old oak endangered

The Geneva Historic Preservation Commission will consider a petition to subdivide a 1.94-acre lot into two lots at 1516 S. Batavia Ave., with the intention of selling one for residential use, at 7 p.m. tonight at City Hall Council Chambers, 109 James St., according to city documents.

The owners propose to have Lot 1 be 1.24-acres and maintain its current zoning and residential structure. But Lot 2 would be .7 acres and rezoned residential, so a new single family house could be built there to complement an existing garage there, documents show.

If the property address sounds familiar, it should: It is Riverbank Laboratories, previously owned by George and Nelle Fabyan and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Neighbors Linda Valdez Karl and her husband Bob Dynek, who live directly behind the garage of that property, said they were concerned about the possible removal of a large oak tree located on what would be Lot 2. It’s where a sketch filed with the city shows the location of where a new house could be built.

“As a horticulturist and Master Naturalist, I estimate by looking at it that the tree is a minimum of 100 years old,” Karl wrote in an email. “A house plan can be moved around and redesigned. A heritage tree cannot be replaced.”

The property owners, Fred and Bonnie Hackendahl, stated in an email that, “Since purchasing the Riverbank Laboratories property in 1999 we have professionally cared for the large oak tree. It is not our intention to allow this historic wonderful tree to be cut down.”

The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission asked the historic commission to comment, as Geneva’s future use plan designates this parcel for office use. A change to residential zoning would maintain the city’s single-family neighborhoods, documents show.

“The resubdivision of 1516 Batavia Ave. does not pose a threat to the current architectural or historic integrity of the property,” according to the staff analysis.

The historic significance of Riverbank Laboratories is it was a hub of pioneering scientific and literary exploration. During World War I, it deciphered enemy codes, searched for hidden messages in Shakespeare texts and conducted various studies, according to city documents.

In an email, city spokesman Kevin Stahr clarified the situation, stating, “The applicant is not proposing any changes to the boundaries of the existing landmark. Any demolition or new construction will require review by the City’s Historic Preservation Commission.”

Karl said that was little consolation.

“That doesn’t mean whatever is rezoned and whoever buys it ... they can do whatever they want with their property,” Karl said. “A heritage tree cannot be replaced. I will be speaking up at the rezoning.”

Her husband agreed.

“We have to start making some noise now,” Dynek said. “It’s private property and if Joe Blow buys it, he can build a mansion and send in a chain saw and take the tree down. We have to make some effort to save the tree.”

Al Watts, of Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley, wrote in an email that being on the National Register of Historic Places does not make a property public, nor that it cannot be altered.

“National Register designation is honorary and only offers protections to the site if federal projects will have an impact to it,” Watts’ email stated.

“It is, however, locally landmarked, which offers some protection,” Watts’ email stated. “As it stands now, anything that would be built on the existing parcel would need to be approved by the Historic Preservation Commission in a separate public hearing.”

While Preservation Partners is reviewing the situation, its purview is historic preservation, not nature conservation, Watts wrote.

“But we understand and agree that historic trees like this oak are important to not only our ecosystem but for the preservation of the identity of Geneva,” according to Watts’ email.