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Belleville Turner Hall
15 N.
First St., Belleville
(St. Clair County)
This brick-and-limestone building, with Art Deco and
Gothic ornamentation, was constructed by the German
community in 1923-24 as a social and civic center. Its
primary purpose was a venue for physical fitness and
educational programs for the community. Owned by the
City of Belleville since 2006 and vacant, the building
is in need of a new use and immediate repairs. A
grassroots organization has offered to raise funds for
repairs and to develop a plan for converting the
building into a visual and performing arts center, but
the City has not expressed interest.
The two-story, corner building was built as part of the
German Turnverein
movement with a “strong mind in a strong body”
philosophy that prospered within the German population
of Belleville. The gymnasium was the core of the
structure and the largest Turner gym ever built in the
United States. The building served as an armory during
World War II and the Korean War, as a teen center in the
1950’s, and as a home to the YMCA starting in1959. Due
to its own financial constraints, the YMCA did minimal
upkeep of the building. In 2006, the YMCA gave the
building to the City and it has since remained vacant
and in a deteriorating state.
In 2009, the Mayor appointed a committee to generate
reuse ideas for the building. The committee recommended
that the City issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to
redevelop it, but the RFP resulted in no feasible
responses.
In 2010, a group of citizens formed the
Belleville Arts
and Culture Society (BACS)
and proposed to the committee a plan for a visual and
performing arts center. Despite local interest, from
both residents and area arts organizations, and a
$10,000 donation to make temporary repairs to the roof,
the City has not allowed the plan to move forward,
citing lack of funds. The City has estimated, at
minimum, $500,000 for demolition costs, while the cost
of stabilizing the roof is estimated at approximately
$45,000. Some fear that the City may prefer to sell or
give the building to the County for parking, since
county offices are across the street.
What You Can Do
The non-profit Belleville Arts and Culture Society (BACS)
have offered to take responsibility for the building and
to spearhead a fundraising campaign. Urge Belleville
city officials to allow BACS to pursue this plan by
contacting:
Additional Links
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