According to State Senator Christopher Belt, and posts by the City of East St. Louis on Facebook last year and a Illinois Housing Authority press release from two years ago, the Broadview Hotel in Downtown East St. Louis will be redeveloped into 109 senior and veterans apartments + a Transit Oriented Development Services Center. The TOD Services Center will provide community-based supports and services and act as a link to specific resources for older adults that include health and wellness programs, nutritional support, computer and information technology, and educational programs.

The project is partially funded by the Rebuild Illinois Plan in the amount of $1.5 Million. The developers, based on a 2019 release by the Illinois Housing Authority, are Efficacy Consulting, LLC, a North St. Louis based firm, and East St. Louis-based Community Lifeline. A timeline isn't available, but I've been told that have been spotted on site over the past several weeks gutting the building. The project's contractor, according to a City of East St. Louis Facebook post, is HBD Contracting.

I have no renderings to share, but in my view, this is great news and is the first step in the "Transforming Downtown East St. Louis" plan. That plan is to revitalize their Downtown and has the support of their Mayor, State Senator, other politicians, and Dick Durbin. 

If East Stl could someone make even a little bit of a comeback that would be great. If it could turn into a Newport, KY like place it would do wonders for downtown also. Obviously a big ask and a long way to go but maybe this is the start of something. The interstate make up there isn’t exactly helpful either though how it is cut off from the casino queen.

This is great news, hopefully more will follow soon. Downtown East St. Louis is just so important and revitalizing it should be a priority for the Metro East, St. Louis region, and honestly the state of Illinois.

It’s not surprising to see the metro East struggle like it has when it’s core is desolate and rotting away. It’s unfortunate because downtown East St. Louis is in such a great location and still has some great architecture left, just no momentum or feeling of optimism whatsoever.

Fortunately I don’t think developing momentum would be particularly difficult. One positive to most of the city being razed means that there are fewer buildings downtown left to renovate. Also the metro station makes DTESTL a perfect candidate for some TOD.

IMO the area bounded by 10th, Broadway, MLK, and the highways is the key to a growing Metro East.

Posted by Jacob Surratt on my St. Louis Development Projects Facebook group. Full steam ahead.

Recent press release on this project. Slated to kick off this month:

https://fox5sandiego.com/business/press ... velopment/

Awesome! I thought this was dead. Hopefully just the first domino to fall for DTESTL. If we can get Spivey, The Majestic Theater, and Grossman Building back up and running it would hopefully be off to the races.

The state government needs to get involved in saving these buildings ASAP.

Does downtown East St. Louis perhaps have a chance? 

I feel like this might be the best chance it has had in a long time. 

The central corridor in St. Louis is improving, but then you also have the raceway teasing a potential entertainment district. Could that perhaps lead to additional development? 

It'd be truly fantastic to see East St. Louis, Illinois build some momentum. It would be nothing but good for St. Louis, Missouri. 

A recent Citizens For Modern Transit broadcast talked about East St Louis's potential for TOD projects with 3 Metrolink stations

I’ve recently been thinking about the Spivey Building. I feel like Downtown East St. Louis needs a landmark or identifiable feature to connect with.

Something like the Tiger Hotel in Columbia but with the word “East” on the roof in bright blue letters. I think it would be really striking.

I tend to think East STL development won't happen until Downtown is free of vacant buildings. I know Railway Exchange is a huge building but if there's not demand to rehab that I don't see it moving into East St. Louis. 

A revitalization of downtown East St. Louis will require the backing of East STL Government (which I’m sure they would), St. Clair County Government and State Government. With JB Pritzker hanging around Alton, I don’t think it’s much of a stress for him to push a similar revitalization effort in East St. Louis. If he keeps up this downstate Illinois trend, maybe some of Chicago’s power will be weakened to the benefits of cities outside of the Chicago area. East St. Louis is the next target in my view.

The County, State and City of East St. Louis need to be ready, and able, to issue incentives in order to spark the redevelopment of Downtown East St. Louis. Attach certain things to it about usages, and I think you’ll get a lot done.

I don't know how the city of East St. Louis is going to be able to put together nice, fat incentive packages for developers. 

I think most of this is going to have to come from the state, and the state should want to see this happen. 

East St. Louis is the core of the whole eastern metro. It has some great towns to build off of IE Edwardsville, Belleville, Collinsville, Alton, etc... but the key to growing the region is a strong core. Even the appearance of progress and momentum in DTESTL will work wonders for drawing investment interest to places like the East Riverfront, the Metro station TOD opportunities, and even Granite City/Madison

Saw a bunch of new windows on the Broadview. Does anyone have any updates on the renovation timeline?

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Washington Park too

Bring back Illinoistown

That's fantastic. Spivey next, please!

Only need to do this to like five more buildings in DTESTL and the whole place would be back up to snuff. Build some new construction, mixed use, 5/1s on Collinsville Ave and around the metro stop and it could be a nice little node again.

Would probably cost around a billion dollars of total investment, but I would argue that is a pretty small number to get a place like East St. Louis clicking again. All it needs is a little momentum and people will start to believe in it again.