Tour of downtown provides lessons as Joplin rebuilds
Posted By Admin on January 2, 2012
JOPLIN, Mo.
Adapting to change has been a theme in the months following the May 22 tornado, but a holiday tour of downtown buildings illustrates that adaptation is nothing new for the residents of Joplin.
The tour on Saturday was sponsored by the Downtown Joplin Alliance as part of the annual DickensFest celebration, which also included Victorian-themed entertainment in the historic Murphysburg neighborhood.
Nathan Jones, youth pastor for Central Christian Center, said he is often in awe of the beauty of the old Fox Theater, which now serves as the churchs worship center.
I just love this building, Jones said as he looked around the ornate theater with its Spanish style architecture. Sometimes, I catch myself just standing here staring at it.
Jones also said the beauty of the theater at 415 S. Main St., its artistic styling and Baroque decor help to lift the congregations thoughts to something bigger than themselves.
It gives us the ability to have cultural gravity, he said. Its such a blessing that we could have a place like this.
The Fox was originally a hardware store that sold supplies to Joplins miners, but in 1930 the Midland Theater Co. of Kansas City bought the building and hired Chicago architect LP Larsen to transform it into a luxurious theater.
Jones said modern buildings lack the richness of their historic predecessors.
Our (modern) culture doesnt allow for it. Were too concerned with economy and efficiency, he said. If we wanted to build a new building like this, theres no way we could afford to do it.
Trisha Patton, executive director of the Downtown Joplin Alliance, said Saturdays Historic Holiday Tour was intended to serve a dual purpose: inform people of the history within the walls of many downtown buildings, and showcase the versatility of the older buildings and what developers have done to make them functional.
Visitors on the tour were greeted at more than a dozen stops by people who explained the history and modern use of each building.
Jeff Neal purchased the Columbia building in 2004 and began renovating it in 2005. The building, at 418-420 Main St., was built in 1893 as a celebration of the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus historic voyage. But it had been empty for many years and fell into disrepair. It was slated to be torn down and converted into a parking lot.
A lot of history would have been lost if the building was destroyed. Among other things, the building housed the Justice of the Peace office in Joplin from 1937 to 1945.
Neal said the Joplin Genealogical Society estimates 7,000 couples climbed the buildings creaky wooden stairs to get married there. He said modern buildings cant match the quality of construction seen in historic buildings.
I dont care who builds your strip mall, it only has a life span of about 20 years, he said. A renovated building will last 100 years because the quality of construction is unsurpassed.
Joplin also has seen many downtown buildings resurrected as apartments and lofts. Patton says the historic tendency toward ornamentation is what makes many lofts appealing. Newer apartments often dont have the large windows, decorative trim and hardwood floors that refurbished buildings offer.
Tonights event
DickensFest continues from 6 to 8:30 pm tonight on Moffet Avenue between Third and Fourth Streets. Admission is free, but donations of coats and toys for children will be accepted. A performance by The American Magic Lantern Theater will be at 6 pm at First United Methodist Church, 501 W. Fourth St.
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