Historic Hotel Becomes Affordable Senior Housing in East St. Louis

Historic Hotel Becomes Affordable Senior Housing in East St. Louis

The New Broadview combats blight in East St. Louis, Illinois, by turning a vacant, historic hotel building into a mixed-use development with 110 affordable senior housing units. Photo credit: Rosemann & Associates

East St. Louis, Illinois, has struggled with a shrinking tax base and economic contraction since the second half of the 20th century. Many of the former industrial city’s 18,278 residents are seniors; 31.3 percent of East St. Louis residents are over the age of 62 compared with 20.3 percent of state residents. Many of these seniors also live in poverty, and their struggles are aggravated by the city’s aging housing stock. The 2023 American Community Survey estimated that most of the city’s 7,436 occupied housing units were single-family detached homes constructed before 1960, with only 209 of these units constructed after 2010.

The New Broadview Senior Living Facility addresses the challenge of vacant buildings and affordable senior housing in East St. Louis. Designed by Rosemann & Associates, the project transformed a historic hotel into a mixed-use, transit-oriented development with 110 affordable senior housing units.

New Life for a Historic Hotel

The seven-story, 127,000-square-foot Broadview building opened in 1927 and operated as a hotel until the 1980s, when it was sold to Southern Illinois University and used for community programs. The university turned the building over to the city of East St. Louis in 2006 and it remained vacant until 2025. In 2013, the building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and in 2017, the city selected a developer to reimagine the site. After delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) approved the project in 2022, and the developers secured financing in 2023.

The Broadview Hotel had been vacant for nearly 20 years and required significant restoration to function as housing. Photo credit: Rosemann & Associates

Construction on The New Broadview began in March 2023, and the project opened in March 2025. The building required significant renovation to adapt it for residential use while preserving its historic features. The design team worked with a historic preservation consultant to retain as much of the original structure as possible while converting the space for housing and commercial usage. The team was able to preserve certain key features of the original design, including its first-floor retail space. “When you have a building that has this storefront all the way around...it’s always lovely if you can have some sort of retail still there,” said Nancy Rodney, senior project manager at Rosemann & Associates. “So our exercise area and our restaurant area…are still sort of retail.”

About the New Broadview

The New Broadview consists of 97 one-bedroom apartments and 13 two-bedroom apartments for seniors. The 13 two-bedroom units are reserved for residents earning between 30 and 50 percent of the area median income, and 11 units are reserved for veterans. Residents in 50 units have access to project-based housing choice vouchers administered by the St. Clair County Housing Authority.

The developers renovated the historic Broadview building, including its spacious lobby, which serves as a gathering place for residents. Photo credit: Rosemann & Associates

The mixed-use development includes 20,000 square feet of commercial space, including business incubator space meant to promote local economic development. The incubator space includes 9 business offices, 16 tabling spaces, and a conference room. Residents have access to a communal kitchen, a hair salon, a senior technology center, ample and modern common spaces, a fitness center, and a restaurant.

Residents can access supportive services through the Transit-Oriented District Senior Services Center, which will provide health and wellness services, nutritional assistance, educational workshops, and technical training as well as support services for veterans. The center’s name acknowledges the transit-oriented nature of the development, which is next to a MetroLink light rail station and close to several restaurants and churches, a middle school, and Gateway Arch National Park.

Financing

Financing for the $44 million project came from several sources, including 9 percent low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) equity. Red Stone Equity Partners facilitated $12 million in federal LIHTC equity and $6.7 million in federal historic tax credit (HTC) equity, while Sugar Creek Capital provided $8.5 million in state LIHTC equity and $8.6 million in state HTC equity. Other sources included an $8.5 million loan through the COVID-19 Affordable Housing Grant Program, $2 million in HUD Community Project Funding grants from the city of East St. Louis, a combined $3.5 million from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, an additional $1.8 million loan from the city of East St. Louis, and a roughly $800,000 loan from IHDA through the Illinois Affordable Housing Tax Credit.

Conclusion

The New Broadview represents a substantial investment in the economic health of East St. Louis while providing high-quality apartments for older members of the community, who often face housing challenges. “Often when you go talk to [these seniors], you'll find out this is the nicest housing they've lived in for a very long time,” said Jarrett Cooper, vice president of Rosemann & Associates. “The biggest success actually for this building is that we're providing safe, affordable housing for seniors throughout the community.”