Belleville officials say details on future of former Lindenwood campus are imminent
The city of Belleville is building suspense by announcing that officials will tell the public on Monday what’s going to happen to the former Lindenwood University campus.
The massive brick complex on West Main Street property housed Belleville Township High School originally and later Belleville West. It has sat vacant for the past two years.
Belleville City Council will hold a special meeting at 5 p.m. Monday to approve the “entities” that will move into the city-owned complex, according to a news release emailed on Friday. The meeting will be followed by a press conference.
“Belleville Mayor Patty Gregory and representatives from each entity will be available for comment during this press conference,” the release stated.
Kathleen Kaiser, the city’s PR/communications manager, said Friday she can’t reveal how many entities are involved, whether they’re education-oriented or when they will be moving into the former Lindenwood complex until after the formal City Council vote.
In an odd twist, Kaiser noted that officials recently discovered that people have for decades been using the wrong address for the complex. It’s supposed to be 2300 W. Main St., not 2600 W. Main St.
“That’s the address we’re going to use,” Kaiser said.
Contractors laid the cornerstone for the main Belleville Township High School building in 1916, according to the “History of Belleville, Illinois.” Several additions came later.
The school became known as Belleville West in 1966, when District 201 built Belleville East. Belleville West students moved into a new building in 2003. Missouri-based Lindenwood University bought the West Main Street property for $1, using the city as an intermediary seller for the district.
Lindenwood operated the campus for 17 years, expanding into the surrounding neighborhood, before pulling out in 2020, having revealed that the operation was losing money.
The city bought back the property for $3 million last August. Gregory stated that the purchase price would be covered by a state grant, but local and state officials have repeatedly declined to provide details or verification.
The complex’s future has been the subject of widespread curiosity, debate, hope and concern. Gregory and her staff gave broad assurances that progress was being made on a redevelopment plan.
City Council members recently raised questions about expenses being incurred for such items as security and building maintenance.
“When we have everything finished with all the people that are contracting here, I think you’re going to be very pleased with what is happening there,” Gregory told them.
In January, the mayor announced that the city departments of Health, Housing and Building, Code Enforcement and Engineering and Economic Development would move their offices into the former Lindenwood complex.
This story was originally published February 26, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
