Thank you to everyone who attended or supported this event!
The Belleville Historical Society is deeply grateful to the many people who helped make the King Exhibit a success. An updated exhibit will be on display at Governor French Academy in Belleville May 1 through 31, 2013, with an opening reception May 3 from 5 to 8 p.m. We hope you will join us there!
Exhibit information »
In addition, the Historical Society is organizing a Charles Erwin King House Tour in Belleville on Saturday, May 11, 2013. We hope you will join us for this unique opportunity to tour proviate residences designed by King!
Tour information »
2012 Exhibit
The Belleville Historical Society will honor and celebrate the Belleville works of Mid-Century Modern architect Charles E. King at an exhibit on Sunday, November 4th, on the campus of Lindenwood University-Belleville. The exhibit will be housed in the Alan J. Dixon Student Center (formerly the cafeteria building of Belleville West High School), which was designed by King and built in 1957.
Event Details
Sunday, November 4, 2 – 4 p.m.
Lindenwood University-Belleville: Alan J. Dixon Student Center (formerly the Cafeteria Building of Belleville West High School)
2600 W. Main Street, Belleville, IL 62226 (View Map)
Free and open to the public
About Charles E. King
Charles E. King, a 1947 graduate of the University of Illinois School of Architecture, practiced in Belleville from 1947 until 1961, when his firm was purchased by Hellmuth, Obata, and Kassabaum of St. Louis. During his fourteen years in Belleville, at least 36 of his residential designs and 19 of his commercial designs were built. All but two still stand today. Probably the most notable of King’s works in Belleville is the City Hall, designed in 1957 and dedicated in 1959. In 1957, he also designed five buildings on the campus of Belleville Township High School (today the campus of Lindenwood University-Belleville), one of which is the Fine Arts/Cafeteria Building in which the November 5th reception will be held.
King, who preferred to design in a Mid-Century Modern Style of architecture, went on to a very prolific career and in 1991 was named of one of Architectural Digest’s “Top 100 Architects.” He was also the recipient of many other professional awards.
King, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, died on August 16, 1993 in St. Louis at the age of 73.
Belleville Works by Charles E. King
Belleville City Hall and two King-designed residences were recently featured at the Belleville Historical Society’s 2012 Plein Air Art Fair & Auction:
- Belleville City Hall (1957-59)
- The Skinner Home on High Forest Drive (1958)
- The Kloess Home on McClintock Avenue (1949)