Need a last-minute stocking stuffer? Try this artistic view of Belleville history

Wally Spiers
·2 min read

If you still need one more Christmas gift, the Belleville Historical Society’s 2024 calendar, “Painting Historic Belleville III,” might do the trick.

The calendar continues a fundraising tradition but has developed into a more than just a pleasant way to keep track of the date. It has become a way to show off the diverse architecture of Belleville and expose some hidden gems people may not have noticed.

“The city is a canvas of Belleville’s history,” said Robert Brunkow, local historian and an organizer of the calendar. “It’s not just houses from the 1800s.”

Since 2012, 25 regional artists have participated in the society’s Paint Historic Belleville program and donated their work for auction. In past years the calendar has featured old photos of fashion, workplaces and churches. But this is the third year it has used paintings.

This calendar edition is dedicated to Joyce Blanquart Neutzling, who participated in the program each year. The calendar has the late artist’s last work, a rendition of the first Presbyterian Church on Royal Heights Road in Belleville. It is the January selection and the one that Brunkow likes the best.

“I think she does a nice job of interpreting the intricate stained glass in the front of the church,” he said.

The newer, modernistic church is one of several examples in the calendar of evolving styles of architecture. Others include Belleville City Hall, a Charles King design, and a West Main Street dental office.

Brunkow does research on each location represented by a painting and provides interesting historical tidbits tracking what the site once was and what it has become.

The calendar cover is a painting of the Veteran’s Memorial Fountain on the Belleville Public Square done by Carolyn Karasek-Needles.

The calendars are $10 and are available at several local stores. They also are available on the society’s website where a limited number of calendars from past years are also featured.

While we’re talking fundraising, you can order prints of many past paintings from Paint Historic Belleville events by visiting Local Lucy’s at 122 E. Main St. in Belleville.

Other locations include:

  • Peace by Piece Boutique 2427 N. Illinois St.

  • Eckert Florist, 201. W. Main St.

  • Eckert’s Orchard and Country Store, 951 S. Greenmount Road

  • Blanquart’s Rusty Gem Vintage Market, 26 E. Main St.

  • Circa Boutique, 128 E. Main St.

  • Artisans off Main, 310 E. Main St.