Renovation of Belleville’s historic behemoth paves way for downtown ‘showpiece’
In the spring of 1931, Belleville residents saw a six-story, brick and terra cotta building rise above the Public Square.
It was the Hotel Belleville and it was billed as the city’s “biggest project and achievement” at the time. The owners proclaimed the 120-room hotel was “100% fireproof” and a News-Democrat headline described Hotel Belleville as “massive and imposing” when it opened in May 1931.
Today, the downtown building, which operated as the Meredith Memorial Home for retirees after the hotel closed, still towers over the Public Square and construction crews are nearing completion of a $14.2 million project to open the Lofts on the Square senior apartments and retail space.
Residents are expected to move into 47 apartments in the building at 16 S. Illinois St. by late July, according to Mike Lundy, the executive director of Southwestern Illinois Development Authority, which is developing the renovation along with St. Louis-based Bywater Development Group.
Lofts on the Square residents, especially ones on the higher floors, will have expansive views of the city and the Veterans Memorial Fountain at the center of the Public Square where downtown festivals take place.
When the Lofts on the Square opens, it will mark a return of seniors living in the 90-year-old building.
The building had been known as the Meredith Memorial Home for retirees from the early 1960s to 2010 and it was operated by the Diocese of Belleville.
After the retirement home closed, the diocese sold the building to the city of Belleville, which later sold it to SWIDA and Bywater.
At one point, the city had considered demolishing the building after receiving a donation to pay off the mortgage. In exchange for the $500,000 donation from Belleville attorney Bruce Cook, the city would demolish the building and open a park on the site in honor of Cook’s late daughter. The city later returned Cook’s donation and put a moratorium on demolishing the building.
Historic status
To help pay for the renovation, the developers obtained $2.1 million in historic tax credits after the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. The designation means the developers have to follow guidelines to maintain the architectural features of the building originally designed in what’s known as the art-deco style.
Demolition of the interior began on May 4, 2020 and took four months because crews had to take care to preserve the architectural features.
“Lots of handwork” is how Greg Litteken described the effort to clear out the building and make way for all of the new plumbing, heating, cooling and wiring. He’s a supervisor with the project’s general contractor, Swansea-based Holland Construction Services.
Here are some of the examples of the unique architectural features residents will see:
▪ The terra cotta on the exterior walls has been repaired in places where it was cracked and chipped.
▪ The terrazzo floor in the lobby has been saved and will be cleaned.
▪ Original hotel room doors with original handles have been preserved. They are being placed in corridors as a decorative reminder of how the hallway looked in 1931. The new apartment doors have been specially designed to look like the original doors but they have have peep holes and the latest hardware. They also will be wider to meet requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
▪ The building’s new windows have been designed to match the shape of the original windows.
▪ New flooring in the corridors has an angled, black and white checkerboard design and new light fixtures have a linear design. The new flooring and light fixtures are designed to “recall” the art-deco period.
Mike Jerabek, the Chicago architect hired for the renovation design, said the new materials used in the renovation “match what was common in the art-deco period.”
Jerabek, who has drawings from the building’s original architectural firm Manske & Bartling Inc. of St. Louis, said when Lofts on the Square residents walk into the building, it won’t be like walking into a run-of-mill apartment building in the suburbs.
“I think that a resident here will feel like they’re are really part of the city and not just on some island,” he said. “It’s just a different experience architecturally.”
Downtown scene
When the Lofts on the Square renovation is finished, Lundy hopes to see residents take a walk downtown and grab lunch or visit the shops.
The first floor will be available for retail space or a restaurant but a tenant has not yet been signed.
Jerabek said the building’s renovation puts a capstone on the streetscape project that improved East and West Main streets downtown with decorative street lights, new sidewalks and “bump outs” that allows space for outdoor dining.
The Meredith Home building had been vacant for 10 years by the time the renovation began last year. There was water damage and other deterioration issues inside the building. Jerabek said the large, empty building was a “sore thumb” on the Public Square.
“The Main Street corridor … has got a lot of vitality and a lot of activity and nice businesses and stores,” Jerabek said during a tour of the building. “This thing’s been sticking out like a sore thumb for years. Right on the square, the most important part.
“It’s now going to be maybe the showpiece, the real completion of this Main Street corridor.”
Lundy said the only regret he has about the project is that Jim Nations, the former chairman of the SWIDA board overseeing the renovation, died last year before he could see the Lofts on the Square open.
“It’s such a shame because he was behind this 110%,” Lundy said. “He was really excited about saving this building and creating senior housing.”
Want to live in Lofts on the Square?
Along with the historic tax credits, the project is being funded in part by $7.5 million in federal low-income housing tax credits from the Illinois Housing Development Authority. The agency said developers convert the credits into equity by selling them to investors who utilize the credits to offset tax liability.
Lofts on the Square residents must be at least 55 years old and earn less than 60% of the area’s median income, according to a news release.
Here is the contact information for the property management company, Sugar Creek Realty:
Phone: 314-561-6832
Email: loftsonthesquare@sugarcreekcapital.com
This story was originally published May 8, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
