Tag Archives: Dianna Borsi O’Brien

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Learn how to uncover history

Have you ever wondered about the history of your home, neighborhood or one you drive by or see often?

Here’s your chance to learn how to uncover the history all around you. Deb Sheals, an architectural historian and historic preservation consultant will be giving a free talk at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 at the Columbia Public Library in the Friends Room.

The library’s calendar notes she’ll explain what records to look for to date historic houses and identify their early owners and occupants and where to find records online and locally.

The talk is called, “If Walls Could Talk.”

For example, this house is Wilson Avenue, which used to be Keiser Avenue. The name of the street was changed following the anti-German sentiments that arose following World War I, according to documents nominating the East Campus Neighborhood for placement on the Register. The document notes, ”Wilson Avenue was once named Keiser Avenue, perhaps named after J. P.Keiser, who owned land in the area in the late 19th century. The name was changed in the late teens or early twenties, as a result of anti-German sentiments following WWI. The new name could be after Thomas C. Wilson, an early resident of 1507 Wilson, who served as the secretary to the Board of Agriculture in 1912…”

1516 Wilson Avenue, built 1916, photo courtesy of Historic Preservation Commission and FitzImages Photography

1516 Wilson Avenue, built 1916, photo courtesy of Historic Preservation Commission and FitzImages Photography

This talk could help you unearth equally interesting information about your own area.

What kinds of historic things have you learned about your home, neighborhood or areas you frequent? What records did you use or uncover?

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J.W. “Blind” Boone historic home makes Columbia standout, boosts economy

Completing the renovation of the J.W. “Blind” Boone home at 10 N. Fourth St., got unanimous approval by the Columbia City Council on Monday, June 3, 2013.

The shell of the house was preserved, painted red and saved from termites and demolition by the purchase of the city in 2000 and subsequent work, but until last night, it needed another $326,000 to make it habitable and available for the many plans the J.W. “Blind” Boone Heritage Foundation has for it.

But perhaps the greatest plans for the house came during Second Ward Councilman Michael Trapp’s comments. He said historic structures such as the Boone home are fundamental to Columbia’s economic development, giving the city its own geographic, cultural and historic personality. “We’re not anywhere, any town,” he said during comments prior to the vote.

Trapp and others also called the home an inspiration. Boone, born in 1864 to a run away slave and U.S. Union bugler, was blinded at 6 months old, a step taken to save him from “brain fever.” Despite his handicap, Boone went on to learn to play music, later composing his own works and playing at concert halls throughout the nation, with some evidence he played internationally. He is credited with contributing to ragtime music, the forerunner of jazz, which led Anthony Stanton to note the global importance of Boone’s legacy, noting the global popularity of jazz.

The house could potentially give Columbia a bigger spot on two different maps. In presenting information on the Boone home, Columbia Parks and Recreation Director Mike Griggs said there is a movement to create a statewide music trail from St.Louis to Kansas City, and a civil rights trail, both of which would include the Boone home.

As Clyde Ruffin, president of the Heritage Board noted, Boone overcame two obstacles, disability and race. The city’s plan for the house calls for completing the interior renovations and then turning the building over to the J.W. “Blind” Boone Heritage Foundation.

Griggs noted the relationship would be like that of the city and the Boone County Historic Museum and Galleries. The city owns Maplewood, a historic home, and the surrounding park, but the facilities are managed by the Boone County Historical Society.

According to Ruffin, plans for the use of the building once it is renovated include a small display of Boone artifacts while the rest of the facility would be used for activities including instructional space.

No matter what happens in the future, the Boone home has already put Columbia on the map. The Blind Boone Ragtime Festival is held annually, this year June 10 and 11, 2013, in the Missouri Theatre. Also, the house where Boone lived from 1889 until his death in 1927 is on the National Register of Historic Places, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s stamp of approval for a nationally important site.

What historic sites in Columbia make it more than just a small college town to you, which historic place and buildings tell you Columbia is special? What historic places do you think contribute to Columbia’s economic development?

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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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Four easy ways to help shape history

Shaping history comes in, well, all shapes and sizes. Here are four ways to help shape Columbia’s history.

1. A Saturday, June 1, 2013 concert will let you hear history — and help to preserve and discover it. A second J.W. “Blind” Boone piano has been discovered. Boone was a classical and ragtime musician who lived from 1864-1927, and his home at 10 N. Fourth Street is under going renovation. From 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, June 1, the Boone County Historic Society will host a concert of classical and Boone compositions to be played by Sutu Forte and Friends on Boone’s Chickering concert grand piano. The event will raise funds to restore the upright piano. Suggested donations are $10 for adults and $5 for children. Call the Boone County Museum and Galleries, 573-443-8936 for tickets or to make reservations. Credit cards accepted. The BCMG is located at 3801 Ponderosa St., Columbia.

2. A Monday, June 3, 2013 Public Hearing will let you weigh in on renovating the historic home of Boone. Built in 1889, it housed Boone and his wife until his death in 1927 and hers in 1931. More than a musician, Boone was also an amazing entrepreneur. He toured the country 10 months a year, often playing six days a week. In the 2012 book, “Merit, Not Sympathy, Wins: The Life and Times of Blind Boone,” John Davis estimates he earned roughly $3,600 to $14,375 a night in 2010 dollars. In 1980, the home was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and in 1998, it was named to Columbia’s Most Notable Properties list. The house was purchased by the City of Columbia in 2000, and since then the exterior has been renovated.

The notice about the public hearing notes the estimated costs of improvements to the interior and exterior of the home is $326,855. A quick scan of the local newspapers would reveal the wide range of opinions on this potential project.

The public hearing on the proposed plan will be held at 7 p.m. in the Council Chamber of City Hall at 701 E. Broadway.

Here is a photo of what it looked like prior to the city’s purchase.

Courtesy of Columbia’s Historic Preservation Commission and FitzImages Photography.

Courtesy of Columbia’s Historic Preservation Commission and FitzImages Photography.

3. June 9, 10, 11, 2013: The “Blind” Boone Early Jazz and Ragtime Festival will include the historic music of the  Boone era.  Performances will be held in the historic and recently renovated Missouri Theatre on Ninth Street in Columbia, Missouri. In addition to separate concert prices, there is a basic two-day pass for $100 and a three-day pass for $150, for four events and six events, respectively. The annual festival began in 1991 and are sponsored by the J.W. “Blind” Boone Foundation. For more information, see 
http://www.concertseries.org/event/blind-boone-early-jazz-ragtime-festival/
 or call 573-882-3781.

Why is this concert series important? J.W. “Blind” Boone, the child of a run-away slave and U.S. Union bugler, played and composed ragtime music, as well as classical music. Many say he was the first person to bring popular, ragtime tunes to the concert stage, and his motto, despite being blind and African-American during a trying time, was “Merit, not sympathy, wins.”

4. Finally, one of the easiest ways to help preserve history is by joining the Boone County Museum and Galleries. Membership starts at $30 for individuals, $35 for families. The museum is open from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. on Saturdays. In addition to galleries and displays, the BCMG offers a wide range of activities and events, many of which are discounted for members.  The BCMG has a website and Facebook page to help you keep in touch with easy ways to help preserve history, get involved or just attend interesting events such as the upcoming concert. The BCMG is at 3801 Ponderosa St.
Columbia, MO 65201

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How to see inside the Spanish-revival home at 2 E. Stewart Road

I admit it, I love Zillow, Trulia and Realtor.com, because these real estate apps let me peek inside houses that fascinate me.

For years, I’ve admired the house at the corner of Stewart and Garth, with its deep red details, creamy Spanish-revival exterior and have often wondered what’s inside. Well, this link to a Zillow posting lets me see inside. By the way, Zillow values the house at $177,506, but notes estimates in this neighborhood, close to the University of Missouri and nearby valuable homes, makes the estimate difficult to make.

I’m not alone in appreciating this home. In 2006, Columbia Home magazine published a piece by Jim Muench and in 2004, Columbia named the 1929 home to its Notable Properties list, as noted in this May 5, 2004, article in the Columbia Daily Tribune.

Here’s information gleaned from both of those accounts and a list of its ownership:

  • 1929 – Dan and Gona Wilkerson, who had purchased the land two years earlier from Clara and John Stewart, for whom Stewart Road is named
  • 1941 – George Foster
  • 1942 – Evelyn and Smith Turner
  • 1943 – Catherine Tallen, who later married W.E. McClellan
  • 1953 — C. Mitchell Tucker and Helen J. Tucker
  • 1959 – Webster and Irma Wheelock
  • 1971 – David and Marilyn Vernon
  • 1980s – Garland Stephens, who owned the Temple Stephens grocery
  • 1990 – Jennifer and Alan Polniak
  • 2001 – Danna and Keith Vessell
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June 9, 10, 11, 2013 festival features historic music of J.W. “Blind” Boone era

On June 9, 10, and 11, 2013, you’ll be able to hear history with the music from the era of J.W. “Blind” Boone, who lived at the historic home at 10 N. Fourth St., which is currently being considered for interior renovations.

The “Blind” Boone Early Jazz and Ragtime Festival tickets are on sale now and tickets can be purchased here. Performances are in the historic and recently renovated Missouri Theatre on Ninth Street in Columbia, Missouri. In addition to separate concert prices, there is a basic two-day pass for $100 and a three-day pass for $150, for four events and six events, respectively.

The concerts are a short walk from Boone’s historic home at 10 N. Fourth Street, which has had its exterior renovated, but awaits further improvements.

The concerts are sponsored by the J.W. “Blind” Boone Foundation. For more information, see 
http://www.concertseries.org/event/blind-boone-early-jazz-ragtime-festival/

This year, the event includes The Launch as well as a Ragtime Bash, with proceeds from these two events slated to fund future “Blind” Boone Early Jazz and Ragtime Festivals.

Why is this concert series important? J.W. “Blind” Boone, the child of a run-away slave and U.S. Union bugler, lived from 1864-1927 and played and composed ragtime music, as well as classical music. Many say he was the first person to bring popular, ragtime tunes to the concert stage, and his motto, despite being blind and African-American during a trying time, was “Merit, not sympathy, wins.”

Here’s the schedule for the 2013 Blind Boone Ragtime & Early Jazz Festival.

Sunday, June 9, 2013

4 p.m. — The Launch, Silent Film – $5 (or free with a Ragtime Bash ticket). Silent Film with Dennis James at the Organ and Frederick Hodges at the Piano

6 p.m. The Ragtime Bash! – $50 (includes a ticket for The Launch, Silent Film)

Monday, June 10, 2013

4 p.m. — The Young Turks Concert- $23

7:30 p.m. — A Tribute to Johnny Maddox – $33

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

5:30 p.m. – Piano and Organ Extravaganza – $23

7:30 p.m. – Sweet and Hot Duets – $33

 

For more information, see concertseries.org, or call 573-882-3781.

 

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Learn about historic preservation Sept. 18-20, 2013 in Boonville at the 2013 Missouri Preservation Conference

This year’s Missouri Preservation Conference will be held Sept. 18-20, 2013 in Boonville at the Isle of Capri Hotel and Conference Center.

This is a great opportunity for mid-Missouri, as last year’s conference was held further away, in St. Louis County.

A short distance from Columbia, the conference in Boonville will offer educational sessions, technical workshops, trade show exhibits,, tours and networking receptions, according to the Save the Date postcard from the Missouri Preservation, a nonprofit dedicated to education, advocacy and assistance to preserve Missouri’s history.

The announcement states rooms are limited at the convention locations, Historic Hotel Frederick, Isle of Capri Hotel and the Comfort Inn. For information on the event, contact Missouri Preservation at preservemo10@yahoo.com or call 660.882.5946.

 

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716 W. Broadway – Peek Inside

Formerly the Taylor House Inn, a bed and breakfast, the home at 716 W. Broadway is for sale and here’s an online peek inside.

The pictures are poor and only give you a small view of what’s inside this 1909, but it’s nice to get a look inside this seven bedroom, five bath house. The house is 6,447 square feet and is for sale for $659,900. It is listed by Colby Ardrey of Coldwell Banker Tatie Payne Inc.

But these pictures don’t tell the real story of this house. This Colonial Revival home under went a $1.3 million renovation in 1999 by Deborah and Robert Tucker.

The history behind the home is even better. This two and one-half story home was built by a man who attended school only through the age of 12, when he was apprenticed to a cabinet-maker. Today, the age of being apprenticed to someone is long gone.

The story of John Newton Taylor and his wife Elizabeth F. Reed of Huntsville is told in the National Register of Historic Places. The home was placed on the Register on May 25, 2001 and named to Columbia’s Historical Preservation Commission’s List of Notable Properties in 2002.

716 W. Broadway, Taylor House, photograph courtesy of Columbia's Historic Preservation Commission and FitzImages Photography

716 W. Broadway, Taylor House, photograph courtesy of Columbia’s Historic Preservation Commission and FitzImages Photography

Born in Pennsylvania, John Taylor  moved to Iowa and worked as a cabinet-maker. There he married Lida Stroup and they moved to Huntsville in Randolph County, Missouri. They went on to have four children, but she died in 1886 and he married Huntsville, native Elizabeth F. Reed in 1890. They went on to have seven children.

The Taylors built their house in 1909. John Taylor had piano and furniture stores in several mid-Missouri towns, including Columbia and gradually he went into the automobile business, even acquiring the local Dodge dealership before the car was even on the market, according to the NRHP nomination form. In 1917, Taylor ran an ad in the Boone County Atlas proclaiming himself a wholesale and retail dealer in pianos and automobiles, the document notes. Taylor also served on the board of directors for the Columbia Commercial Club, the forerunner of Columbia’s Chamber of Commerce.

By his death in 1932 at age 83, he was a prominent businessman. His obituary was printed on the front page of the local newspaper with a photograph, and the mayor and city council all attended. City employees were even given time off for the funeral, the NRHP document continues — noting his son Thomas Taylor was a city councilman at the time.

After his death, wife Elizabeth continued to live in the house with her daughter Eleanor, who was then an assistant professor at the University of Missouri. In 1935, Elizabeth had the house divided into a triplex and continued to live in the home. Elizabeth also developed the surrounding acreage.

As the years passed, the house passed out of the Taylor family and fell into some disrepair.

Then, in 1999, Deborah and Robert Tucker, then owners of Tucker’s Jewelry, renovated the home, converting it into a bed and breakfast. Then, in 2012, the bed and breakfast was suddenly closed.

The home was also featured in a January 13, 2010, Columbia Missourian article on an effort to have a section of West Broadway placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

All this in a home built by someone who only attended school through the age of 12 and then went on to become a cabinet-maker. Yes, historical homes do tell us about who were were and, in this case, with his automobile business, where we went.

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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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See 7 Winning Preservation Projects on May 7, 2013 at Jefferson City Event

Missouri Preservation will hold its 2013 statewide preservation awards ceremony on May 7, 2013 in the state Capitol in Jefferson City. The event was postponed from Feb. 27, 2013.

The event includes an awards ceremony and luncheon. Call 660.882.5947 or email preservemo10@yahoo.com for reservations.

This year’s winners will include seven buildings, three women, one book and one historic initiative. Such events are important to mark the successes of historic preservation, such as the transformation of an under-used school building into senior apartments, and to spotlight the efforts of people spearheading preservation efforts.

The buildings are: the Power House at Union Station in Kansas City, the A.F. Davis House in Fayette, the Antoine Lalumondiere Home in St. Genevieve, the Bismarck Depot in Bismarck, First Presbyterian Church in La Grange, Council Plaza Phillips 66 Gas Station in St. Louis and the Trenton High School, now Trenton Senior Apartments in Trenton.

Missouri Preservation/Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation is a nonprofit dedicated to promoting, supporting and coordinating historic preservation activities in Missouri.