Here’s how Belleville will pay for the demolition of the former Executive Inn
City leaders and residents off Centreville Avenue are happy the former Executive Inn is finally scheduled to permanently check out of the city with the approval to spend $730,000 to tear down the building.
The city had filed a lawsuit against the property owner in 2020 because of the poor condition of the building, and City Attorney Garrett Hoerner told the council on Monday night he expects to have the case settled in “a matter of days.”
This settlement includes the transfer of the deed from Manhar Bhakta to the city. Hoerner said once the city has the deed to the property at 1234 Centreville Ave., the demolition can begin.
The city will use money from the $15.79 million it received as part of the $1.9 trillion federal COVID relief bill, dubbed the American Rescue Plan, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden in March 2021.
Finance Director Jamie Maitret said most of the city’s COVID relief money has been earmarked for improvements to the city’s sewer system.
S. Shafer Excavating & Demolition of Pontoon Beach was awarded the contract to demolish the Executive Inn building, which is just south of the Illinois 15 and Illinois 158 intersection. A portion of the building had been demolished in recent years.
Clifford Cross, director of economic development, planning and zoning for the city, said Shafer is ready to start the demolition as soon as the city says they can enter the property.
Bhakta on Tuesday said “I tried my best” to keep the hotel running and that he had invested his lifetime of savings into the building.
Mayor Patty Gregory had posted a Facebook video about the condition of the hotel site during her campaign to run for mayor in 2021.
“Oh I’m thrilled,” she said after the council meeting. “I’ve been asking for that thing to come down for the last 16, 17 years.
“It’s a happy day for me.”
Cindi McDonald said she has wanted the hotel demolished ever since she moved to the subdivision near the building seven years ago. McDonald, who unsuccessfully ran for St. Clair County circuit clerk on Nov. 8, said she can smell odors from the hotel site when she is on her deck.
McDonald said she will be satisfied with the city’s demolition plan “as long as they go through with it.”
Hotel history
The hotel traces its roots to 1962 when it opened as Augustine’s Motor Lodge, which was built next to Augustine’s Restaurant that was established in 1956.
The restaurant, which was known for its fine dining, closed in January 1987. This building at 1200 Centreville Ave. is not part of the planned demolition of the hotel building at 1234 Centreville Ave.
An ad for the motor lodge in the July 17, 1962, edition of the Belleville News-Democrat invited customers to enjoy an “ultra-modern room” complete with a TV, phone and room service.
“Swim, dine, relax and really enjoy yourself amidst the luxurious, yet informal atmosphere of the area’s most modern motor lodge,” the advertisement stated.
Motels such as this one were part of a trend that led to the demise of downtown hotels such as Hotel Belleville that opened in 1931 and was converted to a retirement home in 1962, according to research from the Belleville Historical Society. The former Hotel Belleville on the Public Square in Belleville was renovated and is now known as Lofts on the Square that features apartments for seniors.
Augustine’s Motor Lodge became a Ramada Inn in 1973 and in 1979 it was renamed the Executive Inn. It has been closed in recent years.
This story was originally published December 22, 2022 at 5:30 AM.
