Renovation of historic Belleville church reveals surprises

Members of St. Paul United Church of Christ are wrapping up a massive renovation project of Heritage Hall, which originally opened as the congregation’s sanctuary a month after the Civil War broke out.

But if it hadn’t been for the low winds in the early morning hours of Nov. 11, 1901, and what a local newspaper described as the “heroic and faithful” effort of Belleville firefighters, today’s restoration never would have been possible.

A fire on that 1901 morning destroyed the Anheuser-Busch Opera House, which was across the street from St. Paul. The blaze was so intense that it spread to the St. Paul steeple, which caught on fire three times, according to an account by The Daily Advocate newspaper.

Since it wasn’t windy and firefighters had a good source of water to pump, the church and other nearby buildings were saved. Repairs and a new front for the church were finished by 1903. But Adolphus Busch of the St. Louis brewing giant did not rebuild the opera house, which was called the “equal of any theater in St. Louis — and the superior of all but one,” according to a Belleville News-Democrat article at the time.

So while the opera house faded from the neighborhood, St. Paul kept growing and eventually the members built a new church on the grounds off West B Street in 1959.

And now Heritage Hall is getting a face-lift.

Dave Hoffman, a co-manager of the project with Roger Harris, said the renovation project is valued at $150,000 and that an anonymous donor is providing about 85% of the costs. Other donors are making up the remainder so the church’s operating budget will not be impacted.

Heritage Hall was 60 feet by 40 feet when it opened as the St. Paul sanctuary in 1861. This building was the latest effort by the congregation that first met in Belleville in 1839.

The church was lengthened by 26 feet in 1885 and then by another 12 feet in 1903 after the opera house fire, according to Roger Henke, an archivist for the church, which he has attended all of his life.

Renovation of Heritage Hall

Highlights of the Heritage Hall rehab project include:

▪ White oak panels with intricate, hand-carved designs, which include a dove, were first installed in the 1930s and later put into storage. The panels have been reassembled and reinstalled along the back wall of the stage.

▪ Four stained glass windows are being reinstalled along a wall where they had been removed. Since this wall now adjoins the building with a gym and kitchen, the windows will have backlighting. The stained glass windows that had been kept in place have had a plastic covering removed and have been cleaned to provide sparkling views on sunny days.

▪ Cedar beams used for a dropped ceiling have been removed to reveal the 22-foot high ceiling and give full views of all the stained glass windows. Chandeliers have been attached to the ceiling, which was replastered.

▪ HVAC ducts have been recessed behind the cathedral ceiling and interior walls have been removed.

▪ Walls have been painted and horse hair wallpaper has been removed.

▪ New flooring will be installed.

Most of the work is scheduled to be finished by April 5 when an open house is scheduled.

Church volunteers along with local contractors started the project last year.

“They’ve tried very hard to get it back to the way it truly was to the best of their ability, to the best of their knowledge,” said church member Mimi Llamas.

Heritage Hall uses

Before the renovation began, Heritage Hall had been in constant use for various groups.

When the renovation is finished, church leaders want to once again keep the hall busy with events.

Senior Pastor Michelle Torigian said a nontraditional church service is expected to be conducted in the hall beginning this spring.

Torigian also said the remodeled space would be ideal spot for small weddings and receptions, anniversary parties, baby showers, retreats or business meetings.

“We’re hoping it will be extremely busy,” Llamas said.

Surprises during remodeling

St. Paul members have had a few surprises since restoration of their nearly 160-year-old church began.

In the Heritage Hall attic, volunteers found remnants of the wood that burned during the 1901 fire.

The church had crews make repairs at the time, Hoffmann said.

“They had money for repairs but they told the contractors you don’t have to get rid of any of the debris,” Hoffmann said. “So all of the debris was up in the attic, burnt timbers, bricks. So before we could start this project, we had to clean all that out.”

Even with all the debris that was removed, there are still some places that show remnants of the fire.

“You can also smell the charcoal from the timber still up there,” Hoffmann said.

Along with the burnt wood, the attic revealed another surprise: “We found the original bell pulleys from when they rang the bells with the rope,” Hoffmann said.

Llamas was pleasantly surprised by the way church members were able to reconnect the wooden panels now behind the stage.

The crews had the 1936 blueprints from the American Seating Co. and Hoffman said there are no screws or nails used in the wood — just interlocking pieces like in a puzzle.

Llamas said she thought, “There is no way they are going to be able to fit this back together.”

But they did.

For Torigian, the project represents the community spirit of the St. Paul congregation.

“We want to honor the saints of the church, the people who have been the foundation of the church since the beginning of this congregation, and yet we want to look ahead to the future and use the space for many different things, to honor our faith and to be a good neighbor to our community.”

Want to go?

An open house is scheduled for 2 p.m. to 4p.m. Sunday, April 5 when the public is invited to explore the Heritage Hall renovation project at St. Paul United Church of Christ. The event will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The church is located at 115 W. B St. For more information, go to www.stpaulucc.org, check out the church’s page on Facebook or call 618-233-3303.

This story was originally published March 10, 2020 at 5:05 AM.

Mike Koziatek

Belleville News-Democrat

Mike Koziatek is a former journalist for the Belleville News-Democrat