From 19th century saloon to welcome center, Belleville building to be reborn

A deteriorating two-story brick storefront in downtown Belleville has traveled a long path, from 19th-century saloon to vacant eyesore, and now it’s headed for renovation.

A new nonprofit foundation plans to turn it into a welcome center for a local historic site.

Here is the timeline:

• Built in 1887 for Schopp Brothers Saloon, the building at 123-127 Mascoutah Ave. housed taverns for 55 years, then a florist shop and other businesses until a hair salon moved out in 1996, according to research by the Belleville Historical Society.
• One owner, Chuck Helwig, tried to open a microbrewery called Robin’s Beak in the building, but disagreements with city officials over parking and an addition led him to locate in Swansea instead, per earlier reporting on the property.
• The city bought the vacant lot at 123 Mascoutah Ave. for $3,257 in 2009 and the building at 127 for $23,000 in 2010 after St. Clair County acquired it for back taxes, the BND reported. The Kern family donated money so it could be used as a welcome center for the Gustave Koerner House.
• The Gustave Koerner House Restoration committee spent about $56,000 on the building — installing structural supports, tuck-pointing brick, treating the roof and replacing upstairs windows — before concluding it couldn’t afford to pay for work on both properties, according to co-chairman Jack LeChien.
• In 2022, Kathy Mordini and her daughter Kinsey were the only developers who responded to two city requests for proposals, initially pitching a business incubator and event space with outdoor pop-up markets, as neighbors and aldermen debated the process.
• The Mordinis agreed in June 2023 to buy the property for $48,816 and spend more than $200,000 on renovations, with plans to move Avenue Realty Associates upstairs and create community event space below, the BND reported after City Council approval.
• That deal collapsed in November 2023 when aldermen voted 10-6 to reject a revised sale contract after neighborhood opposition led by former U.S. Rep. Bill Enyart. Mordini blamed “politics” for the project’s demise.
• Belleville’s economic development director suggested in November 2024 that the building be demolished, estimating it would cost $30,000, although the Belleville Historical Society opposed tearing down what its president called a historically significant structure.
• In July 2026, the City Council voted to lease the Mascoutah Avenue building and the Gustave Koerner House to the newly formed Koerner Home Foundation NFP for $1 a year through at least 2031. The foundation plans to convert the former into a welcome center.
• The foundation — founded by Enyart and volunteers Tom Bell and Rhonda Latina — also aims to raise $1.2 million to $1.5 million in private funds and complete restoration of the 1854 Koerner home in three years, turning it into a museum.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.