News-Democrat building sold; news organization will move to new site in Belleville

The Belleville News-Democrat has completed the sale of its headquarters building in downtown Belleville and will be moving to a new home next year.

The BND plans to continue leasing the building at 120 S. Illinois St. through early 2020. A search for a new headquarters has been underway since earlier this year, with a number of sites as finalists, said Jeffry Couch, the BND’s editor and general manager.

The building was sold to 120 S. Illinois LLC for $1.72 million. Details about the new owner’s plans for the building were not released.

After a fire destroyed the News-Democrat building on Public Square in 1898, the news organization moved to 120 S. Illinois St. The headquarters has been remodeled and expanded numerous times over the past 120 years.

The BND traces its roots to the Belleville Weekly Democrat, which published its first edition in January 1858.

“Over the past nearly 162 years, the BND has reported the news, told the community’s story and recorded the history of our region,” Couch said. “Our commitment to Belleville and the metro-east remains as strong as ever, and we will continue our mission of serving our readers with essential journalism from our new headquarters. “

This story was originally published September 30, 2019 at 2:57 PM.