City of Belleville to buy former church and four homes from county to demolish them (original) (raw)
The city of Belleville planned to buy and demolish six derelict buildings, including, clockwise from top left, 611 E. McKinley St., 113 S. 18th St., 807 Scheel St., 112 E. D St., 514 Freeburg Ave. and 121 S. 17th St. Officials later decided to take the Freeburg Avenue home off the list.jcarter@bnd.com
Belleville City Council voted Monday night to buy five homes and a former church from St. Clair County.
Officials plan to demolish five of the buildings because of their derelict conditions. They hope to find a developer to renovate the sixth, a historic 2 1/2-story home on South Jackson Street.
“It’s going to cost a bit, but it’s a very cool house, and it’s in good shape,” said Scott Tyler, the city’s director of health, housing and building. “We want to see somebody fix it up.”
St. Clair County foreclosed on the six buildings after their owners failed to pay property taxes for three years or more, parcel records show. The buildings would have been offered for sale in a county tax auction if the city hadn’t decided to buy them.
City officials already had filed documents in St. Clair County Circuit Court, asking for permission to demolish the five derelict buildings, but a judge hadn’t yet decided the cases.
“(The purchases) will keep us from having to spend money in court,” said City Clerk Jenny Meyer. “We can just buy them and tear them down.”
The city will pay 786,theminimumauctionbidplusfees,foreachofthesixbuildingsforatotalcostof786, the minimum auction bid plus fees, for each of the six buildings for a total cost of 786,theminimumauctionbidplusfees,foreachofthesixbuildingsforatotalcostof4,716.
The five derelict buildings will become part of a package of 13 to 15 buildings the city plans to demolish later this year, according to Tyler. He expects that to cost between 175,000and175,000 and 175,000and225,000.
Officials originally had planned to buy a seventh building, a derelict home at 514 Freeburg Ave., from the county. But it was removed from their list shortly before aldermen voted.
“The house actually sits on two parcels, and the other parcel is not up for sale,” Meyer said. “So it doesn’t make sense to buy half a house.”
The city of Belleville is buying a 2 1/2-story home at 400 S. Jackson St. that sat vacant for years before St. Clair County foreclosed on it. Officials hope to find a developer to renovate it. Joshua Carter jcarter@bnd.com
The five buildings headed for demolition include homes at 113 S. 18th St., 121 S. 17th St., 12 E. D St. and 611 E. McKinley St. and the former church at 807 Scheel St., near the Belleville MetroLink station.
Tyler said most of the buildings were abandoned by owners years ago and occupied by squatters who filled them with trash, stole fixtures, started fires and otherwise contributed to their deterioration.
Tyler gave the example of a small shotgun-style home with red asphalt siding on 18th Street. It was built in 1910, county parcel records show.
“It’s in horrible, horrible shape,” he said. “People have broken into it, and they’ve destroyed a lot of it. The neighbors are jumping up and down now that we’re finally going to do something about it.”
Tyler said the derelict two-story brick home on East D Street was occupied until recently by a mother in a wheelchair and her two sons. The landlord had disappeared and stopped coming to collect rent. That home was built in 1911, county parcel records show.
“We tried to help (the family) find a new place, but they refused it,” Tyler said. “They didn’t want to leave because they were living there for free.”
Eventually, the mother went into a nursing home.
The home not slated for demolition is at 400 South Jackson St. Tyler and Meyer determined it was in much better condition than the other buildings, despite the fact it had been vacant for years.
Officials had posted signs declaring it unfit for human occupancy, but that was due to lack of water or electricity.
“It’s never been condemned that I know of,” Tyler said.
The 2 1/2-story frame home was built in 1900, according to county parcel records. It still has original woodwork, massive oak pocket doors, antique light fixtures and other historic features.
Officials plan to post a “request for qualifications” on the city’s website, asking local developers to present plans for fixing up the home. In the past, the City Council has sold some buildings for $1 as part of development agreements to facilitate renovations.
“It’s definitely a home that’s worth saving for that neighborhood,” Meyer said.
This story was originally published September 17, 2024, 6:46 AM.
Teri Maddox has been a reporter for 38 years, joining the Belleville News-Democrat in 1990. She also teaches journalism at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park. She holds degrees from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and University of Wisconsin-Madison.