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…
Category: Historical Homes
Changes to demolition permits pondered
With 2012 seeing the loss of the Annie Fisher house (circa 1920s) and several other older dwellings, the Columbia Planning and zoning Commission is considering changing the time period for demolition requests and the nomination process to historic preservation districts. Read the Sept. 22, 2012 Columbia Tribune article, “Panel working on a new demolition, historic…
$1 billion in economic activity generated by historic preservation
Tax credits, including tax credits for historic preservation, have come under fire from time to time. However, a recent newspaper article on historic preservation states, “Preserving historic buildings over the past decade has, directly and indirectly, accounted for more than $1 billion in economic activity in Columbia and helped to create thousands of jobs…” The…
See inside 704 Westmount the peanut brittle house
The home at 704 Westmount is up for sale, giving curious folks like me an opportunity to peek inside. Here‘s the House of Brokers’ virtual tour of the home, which is priced at $689,000. So why does the headline mention peanut brittle? Three homes were built in 1907 in Columbia that carry that descriptive name…
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….
Demolition Delay Efforts
This report by KOMU notes that Columbia’s Historic Preservation Commission can’t prohibit the demolition of buildings by property owners — but they can delay approving the demolition permit in the hopes of finding a way to work with the building owner and saving a historic structure. The report quotes Brian Treece, HPC chair, as saying…
May 5 concert gives history buffs a two-fer experience
On May 5, 2012, history buffs will be given a two-fold historic opportunity, according to this article by Bill Clark in the Columbia Daily Tribune. A three-hour concert (!) will be held in the Second Baptist Church at 407 E. Broadway, to benefit the renovation of the John William “Blind” Boone home, which is within…
2012 Most Notable Properties Gala, Feb. 7, 2012
On Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012, a gala to celebrate Columbia, Missouri’s Most Notable Properties will be held in the lobby of City Hall at 701 E. Broadway. The event is open to the public. The event has been previewed in both the Columbia Missourian and the Columbia Daily Tribune in articles published on Feb. 6,…
Historic home, “fairy-tale house,” for rent
The house at 121 N. West Blvd., is now a rental property — and that’s good news. As I’ve quoted historic consultant Deb Sheals saying before, the way to save a historic property is to put it to work. That’s exactly what has happened to this 100-year-old house. Built in 1911 by Arch McCard, the…
New life at Guitar Mansion, 2815 Oakland Gravel Road
By either name, Guitar Mansion or Confederate Hill, the house at 2815 Oakland Gravel Road is seeing new life as a single-family home once again. Planned for use as a bed and breakfast at one time, in 2010, the house was purchased and has been returned to its original use as a single-family home. See…
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