After six years without a home, Belleville Elks are back in the lodge business
Belleville Elks Lodge #481 closed its 21,000-square-foot building on South Illinois Street in 2019, ending an era for one of the city’s most prominent fraternal organizations.
But members continued to meet in a space provided by Catholic War Veterans Butz-Jobe Post 370 and distribute funds for college scholarships, food pantries and other charitable causes.
Now the organization is opening a new headquarters in a storefront on East Main Street. It will primarily be used for meetings and social activities for members and guests, according to John Schaberg, who generally goes by “president” instead of the historic title “exalted ruler.”
”We don’t intend to compete with any of the bars or restaurants on Main Street,” he said this week.
The Elks bought the 2,478-square-foot storefront at 30 E. Main St. in December for $186,000, St. Clair County records show. It’s on the southwest corner of East Main and South High Street.
The storefront dates back to 1890, but the brick has been covered with a solid-masonry facade. Most recently, it housed the law offices of Williams, Caponi & Associates.
“It’s in pretty good shape,” Schaberg said. “We want to make it look better than it does right now, but as a nonprofit organization, we have to be careful how we do that.
“We have wild dreams and realistic dreams,” he added.
The organization already has put a sign in the window with the Elks logo, but the burgundy awning still reads “LAW OFFICE.” Schaberg hopes to get that replaced as soon as possible.
Last week, Belleville City Council approved a special-use permit for the Elks to operate a “club/lodge” in a C-2 heavy commercial zoning district, as well as a Class A liquor license. Members plan to begin moving items from storage in the coming weeks.
“We’re going to have our first meeting (in the building) tomorrow night,” Schaberg said Tuesday. “I told my fellow officers, if they want to come, they have to bring their own chairs.”
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) was established in 1868 in New York City to provide fellowship and raise money for members in need or other charitable causes in the community. The Belleville lodge, which dates back to 1899, recently turned 125.
Members opened the building at 1481 S. Illinois St. in 1979 with a full bar and large banquet hall that hosted wedding receptions, holiday parties and other gatherings for hundreds of people. But declining participation and demand prompted them to downsize.
“When this building was built, everyone was involved with an organization,” former Exalted Ruler Robin Lemay told the BND in 2019. “Now with two-income families and kids involved in so many activities, there isn’t the time.”
The Elks sold the building at auction that year. It now houses a Quality Rental & Sales location. Two separate partners bought the former Elks swimming pool and tennis courts, which is operated under the name Westhaven Pool & Racket Club. They recently added pickleball.
Belleville Elks Lodge #481 has just under 100 members, far short of the 1,700 or so at its peak in the 1970s, according to Schaberg. He hopes the new digs in downtown Belleville will encourage more people to join.
Each year, the organization uses money from its trust fund and national and state Elks grants to distribute $25,000 to $30,000 in college scholarships and donate to charitable causes.
Those causes change each year. Most recently, they included the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Community Interfaith Food Pantry, Downtown Belleville YMCA, St. Clair County Teen Court Foundation, Catholic War Veterans and Illinois Center for Autism.
This story was originally published April 17, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
