Harvester Square’s patchy, neglected property sits in the middle of Sycamore on South Avenue, interrupting row after row of nicely-manicured, pastel-colored homes. Its demolition has been on the city’s to-do list for some time, and it’s getting done.

The former site of wire pickling, a form of wire processing using acids, was among Sycamore citizens’ most pressing complaints. In the summer of 1999, contractors began demolishing the area. Toxic chemicals littered the interior of the building, posing a hazard for residents.

Sycamore City Administrator Bill Nicklas said the town’s decision to demolish wasn’t solely due to toxic waste, though.

“Back in 1999, we saw a three-story structure that was literally falling into the street,” Nicklas said. “Our first involvement was to use our police powers to ward the demolition. The property [owners], at the time, didn’t have the means to do the right thing in terms of cleaning up the site.”

Nicklas said Sycamore has officially owned the property since 2002 and worked with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to further clean the site, as well as the federal EPA for removal of contaminants.

“We’re at a point, finally, after almost six years, where most of the contaminants are out of the site and we’re on the threshold of being able to demolish the remainder of the building.” In all, city officials expect a final bill of $1.7 million to restore the brownfield block into something usable.

Thankfully, Hurricane Katrina’s wrath didn’t affect demolition progress as other federally-funded projects around the country were, Sycamore Mayor Ken Mundy said.

“This project is very small,” he said. “We’re getting state funding for the project, so we haven’t had any delays.”

After demolition, Nicklas said Sycamore plans to invite purchase proposals from interested parties.

Joel and Joan Barczak, owners of Blumen Gardens; a landscape, design construction and maintenance center for gardens; are looking to expand their shop, which neighbors the decrepit building to the south.

The handmade glass orbs adorning the trees along the store’s perimeter clash starkly with Harvester Square’s foul appearance.

“I need more parking. I need a greenhouse. I need space for expansion,” Joel Barczak said. “I have more inside space than I have outside space. The part that’s remaining has no value.” The couple already have stretched their boundaries into recently opened land after the first stage of the demolition process ended, but still need more space.

Blackhawk Moving and Storage, the company adjacent to Harvester Square’s north side, also expressed interest in expansion.

“Our plans are to use that property in some way, maybe for parking and room for trucks, or hopefully, a new commercial building on the site,” owner Dan Hamingson said.