Category Archives: Commercial Buildings

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Take a historic tour of Columbia’s highlights

There’s no time limit on taking this historic tour. Here’s a link to a PowerPoint presentation that basically offers a tour of Columbia’s historic highlights. This presentation was presented by Deb Sheals, a historic preservation consultant, in May 2011 at a public meeting of the Columbia Historic Preservation Commission.

I love taking these kinds of historic tours from the comfort of my easy chair and laptop!

The meeting where this was presented was held to highlight the work on a map project being done by Sheals for the HPC.

Enjoy the tour via this pdf of Columbia historic highlights.

What online tours have you found in Columbia of historic places, structures or areas? Share about the historic resources you’ve found on line.

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Tentative Agreement to Save the Niedermeyer

This news item from KOMU states that the Niedermeyer Apartments may be saved from demolition by an agreement with a private buyer. The news report is dated March 12, 2013, 12:30 p.m.

The report outlines the history of the Niedermeyer Apartments on Cherry Street:

1837 – Built by Gen. Richard and Ann Hawkins Gentry.

Home to Columbia Female Academy and Gordon Hotel, frequented by Mark Twain, William Jennings Bryan and Mary Todd Lincoln.

1921 – Became Niedermeyer Apartments.

Previous reports outlined plans by Collegiate Housing Partners to demolish the apartment building to make way for a 15-story apartment building. There was significant backlash by historic preservationists against the St. Louis firm’s plans. A report in the Columbia Missourian on Jan. 3, 2013, noted an online petition designed to stop the demolition had gathered 1,500 signatures.

Today’s KOMU report states Columbia Mayor Bob McDavid and the City of Columbia’s Historic Preservation Commission reached a tentative agreement to have a private buyer purchase the building. Brent Gardner, a local realtor and member of the Commission, is quoted as saying preservation could involve a combination of resources including historic preservation tax credits, energy efficiency grants and other city programs.

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2013 Most Notable Properties Highlights

In case you missed it, here are links to coverage of the February 2013 announcement of six historic sites named to the Columbia Most Notable Properties List by the Columbia Historic Preservation Commission.

Qualifications for being named to the list include the property being older than 50 years, within Columbia’s city limits and highlights the historical or architectural influences in Columbia. To learn more about the Most Notable Properties criteria, check out this publication by the city.

The 2013 properties are as follows:

920 Cherry St. — Niedermeyer Apartments, circa 1837, with additions in 1902.

110 S. Ninth St. — Booche’s, circa 1925.

511 E. Rollins St., Pi Beta Phi Missouri Alpha Chapter House, 1930.

1411 Anthony St. – Arthur and Susie Buchroeder House, circa 1906. Dutch Colonial revival-style

703 Ingleside Drive, W.J. and Clara Lhamon House, 1926.

916 W. Stewart Road — Claude and Stella Woolsey House, circa 1930.

To read more about the properties, here are links to media coverage of the properties.

Feb. 5, 2013 – Columbia’s 2013 Most Notable Properties. Six properties, including a business rather than a property per se, were named to the Columbia Most Notable Properties list. Columbia Missourian article.

Feb. 5, 2013 – Commission to honor city’s notable properties: Six buildings to be recognized. Columbia Daily Tribune article.

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Niedermeyer Preservation Plans

Columbia’s historic homes — literally homes — are in danger. An 1837 building, now functioning as an apartment building, is in the sights of a developer. The plan is to demolish the building, the Niedermeyer Building at Tenth and Cherry streets in downtown Columbia and replace it with a 15-story apartment building.

Voices from both sides of the spectrum – from tear it down to keep it — have spoken out in response to this Jan. 4, 2013 Columbia Missourian newspaper article on the Niedermeyer Apartment building.

The article notes that the Columbia Historic Preservation Commission supports the idea of putting the demolition permit on hold for six months. According to reports, the Niedermeyer has served as an all-girls private school, a hotel, university classrooms and now residential housing.

For more information on the historic area of downtown Columbia, here is the National Register of Historic Places document outlining the Downtown Columbia Historic District, with information on the Niedermeyer.

 

http://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/06000990.pdf

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/a/157401/historic-preservation-commission-supports-preservation-of-niedermeyer-building/

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Heibel-March building at 900-902 Range Line faces demolition

Once again, the Heibel-March building at 900-902 Range Line is facing demolition. And once again, this proves the axiom that the way to save a historic building is to put it to work.

Built in 1910, according to the a May 23, 2012 article in the Columbia Daily Tribune, the building faces an August 1, 2012 deadline for demolition. The building once housed a drugstore and was named to Columbia’s Notable Properties list in 2005.

Yet, it has been vacant for years, despite several organization’s plans to occupy it. This recent article outlines the various plans and organizations that once proposed using the building.

For a short history of the building, see this City of Columbia link.

Below is a newspaper article that outlines the current possibility for the building.

May 23, 2012 – Heibel-March demolition is back on table – Columbia Daily Tribune. There is an August 1, 2012 deadline for this building to be demolished. Despite many efforts, the building remains vacant and no organization, agency or individual has stepped forward with plans to renovate it.

Oct. 23, 2011 – Plans for Heibel-March building stagnate – Columbia Tribune. Building at Rangeline and Wilkes Boulevard is still awaiting renovation. Several other plans to renovate the plans have fallen through.

Dec. 8, 2010, Historic Preservation Commission endorses Heibel-March purchase, Columbia Daily Tribune.

Dec. 7, 2010, Historic Preservation Commission votes to keep Heibel-March Building alive, Columbia Missourian.


http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2010/12/07/historic-preservation-commission-votes-approve-legacy-constructions-offer-purchase-heibel-march-building/

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June 11-13, 2012: See and hear history – Blind Boone Ragtime and Early Jazz Festival

On June 11, 12 and 13, 2012, you’ll have a chance to see — and hear — history. The Blind Boone Ragtime and Early Jazz Festival includes concerts as well as free, open to the public events.

But where’s the history? What’s the historic home part of this festival? Ah, I can answer that.

1. Ragtime music, made popular by Columbia resident J.W. “Blind” Boone, 1864-1927, ushered in jazz. As part of the festival, his partially renovated home at 10 N. Fourth Street will be toured. The tour is set for 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 13. The home is on the National Register of Historic Places. The house dates back to 1891, according to the NRHP document.

2. Many of the events of the festival itself will be held in another historic building — The Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts at 203 S. Ninth Street. Built in 1928, the building under went a $10 million renovation in 2007-2008. The Missouri Theatre was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

The concerts cost $25 to $30, but the schedule of events includes the free to the public events below:

Monday, June 11th

  • Afternoon Music Fair - At the Missouri Theatre from 10am – 12 Noon
  • Afternoon Tour - At the Boone County Historical Society Museum at 1:30pm
  • Monday Afternoon Seminar - Mitch Meador presents Arranging for the 21st Century orchestration At the Missouri Theatre at 3:15pm

Tuesday, June 12th

  • Daytime Music Fair - At the Missouri Theatre from 10am – 12 Noon

Wednesday, June 13th

  • Afternoon Music Fair - At the Missouri Theatre from 10am – 12 Noon
  • Afternoon Tour - At the partially historically restored Home of John William Boone. Located at: 10 North 4th Street – starts at 1:30pm
  • Afternoon Seminar - The team that brought about the republication of Melissa Fuell’s 1915 Blind Boone biography: Mary Barile, Christine Montgomery, Mike Shaw, Greg Olson, and Max Morath. At the Missouri Theatre at 3:15pm
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Historic home economics

This article mentions that historic homes are not available for economic support for renovations. The article is from a daily business magazine in Minnesota, but many of the same debates come up here in Columbia, Missouri, as well.

Many people don’t realize the historic building movement is a fairly new movement, stemming for the 1960s.

For more information, read the article at this link:


http://finance-commerce.com/2011/11/a-historic-debate-growing-about-preservation-rules/

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Update on the historic Heibel-March Building

In October, the Columbia Tribune updated readers on the development — or rather the lack of development of — the Heibel-March Building. Built in 1927, once again the brick structure faces an uncertain future. The building was named to Columbia’s Notable Properties list in 2005.

Could the problem be no one has tried to put the building to work? As Deb Sheals, a historic consultant says, saving a building requires putting it to work. But several of the plans in the past had nonprofits trying to make the building fit in with their plans. Unfortunately, the last commercial plan for the building fell through when the developer died.

For now, the building is simply out of work and time is taking its toll.

Below is a newspaper article that outlines the history of plans for the building.

Oct. 23, 2011 – Plans for Heibel-March building stagnate – Columbia Tribune. Building at Rangeline and Wilkes Boulevard is still awaiting renovation. Several other plans to renovate the plans have fallen through.

Dec. 8, 2010, Historic Preservation Commission endorses Heibel-March purchase, Columbia Daily Tribune.

Dec. 7, 2010, Historic Preservation Commission votes to keep Heibel-March Building alive, Columbia Missourian.


http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2010/12/07/historic-preservation-commission-votes-approve-legacy-constructions-offer-purchase-heibel-march-building/

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Historic buildings uses, owners change

The Missouri Theatre opened in 1928 and initially performances included music, a newsreel, cartoon, dancing and a feature film.

Then, over the years, the theatre’s functions changed, featuring only films for a time, then it nearly faced destruction in the 1980s.

This Sept. 11, 2011 article in the Columbia Daily Tribune outlines the many changes of the theatre and its owners.

From 1928 until today, the Missouri Theatre has had many owners as well. When it was named to the National Register of Historic Places, the building was owned by Shirley Stone Cox, according to the nomination form, which outlines the buildings notable features.

Now, the Missouri Theatre is leased by the University of Missouri-Columbia, with an option to purchase it at the end of the three-year lease agreement.

While historic buildings remain, their uses change with the times, but in this case, it seems the use will return to its multiple uses of its origins and its most recent use of a venue for performances, films and music, no longer just a movie theatre, its use from 1953-1983.

 

 

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Missouri Theatre to be leased by University of Missouri-Columbia

Deb Sheals, a historic preservation consultant, said it best: Saving a historic building requires putting it to work.

Now, the Missouri Theatre will be put to work by the University of Missouri. This article by the Columbia Daily Tribune notes that the manager of MU’s Jesse Hall plans to put the Missouri Theatre to work. He notes in the article that he often turns away performances and now MU will have another venue.

This is great news, as the Missouri Theatre has struggled under the cloud of debt, federal tax credits and changing management.

The theatre began life in 1928. In 1953, it was leased to Commonwealth and operated as a movie theater until 1987. It was then purchased by the Missouri Symphony Society and renovated in 2006. For more information on the history of theaters in Columbia, see this June 25, 2010 article published in the Columbia Business Times.