Here in 2015, there’s lots of talk about whether downtown Columbia should sport so many high-rise apartment buildings, but in 1910, another high-rise faced a different kind of problem — a shortage of steel. The Guitar Building — which has nothing to do with guitars — at 28 N. Eighth St. was spotlighted in the…
Tag: Columbia historic homes
Lost Black history spotlighted on Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Black history will be the brought back to life on Tuesday, May 19, 2015 with the unveiling of a marker to highlight a place that once existed — Sharp End — will be highlighted. From 5:30 to 6:15 p.m., members of the Sharp End Heritage Commission and city and state officials will mark the unveiling…
Bungalows and local couple celebrated for historic preservation
The bungalow-studded neighborhood on Hubbell Drive and Lucy and Hugo Vianello will be celebrated at a free event set for 6:30 p.m. May 11, 2015, to highlight historic preservation in Columbia, Missouri. The event, sponsored by Columbia’s Historic Preservation Commission, will be held in the historic Missouri Theatre — the building that Hugo and Vianello…
Things that go bump in the day and the night
Interested in what you can’t see? That’s what you’ll learn about at these free downtown historic walking tours, with the first one slated for July 31, 2014. Given by members of the Historic Preservation Commission of the City of Columbia, the tours will focus on what you can — and can’t see. All four of…
Fish, Eugene Field and a spring named Rollins
Got a damp spot in your yard? I do and I often wonder if it is a spring. Perhaps it’s a historic site. There’s a spring now marked in an fairly obscure spot at Providence Road and Mick Deaver Drive and it’s mentioned in a 1991 article by Frances Pike of the Columbia Daily Tribune….
The history behind The Blue Note building
Yes, you’ve heard right: Richard King is selling The Blue Note at 17 N. Ninth St. But this former “movie palace,” won’t be going the way of other movie venues in downtown Columbia, Missouri. These two articles, “Richard King sells The Blue Note, Mojo’s,” and “Richard King passes torch, sells The Blue Note, Mojo’s.” The…
It’s a park, it’s an airport, it’s a Stephens training location
All history can become hidden, but it is sometimes it seems especially true for women’s history. This Stephens College blog post article spotlights a sign that was discovered during a demolition of an old building at Cosmo Park that revealed a bit of women’s history that probably has been nearly forgotten. The post outlines the…
Hear the historic piano of John William “Blind” Boone
Just the way a historic home can make the personality of a historic person come to life, so can the instrument of a long-gone musician. On June 12, 2014, the Boone County Historic Society is hosting a night of music with some selections played on the famous Chickering Grand piano, the piano made famous by…
Historic homes + facts = amazing stories
I love historic homes because inside of them — inside every home — is a story. No need to add color, make anything up, each house offers a tale worth telling. The aptly named “Fairy-tale” house at 121 West Blvd., North is no exception. But until last year, the story got one big fact wrong….
Skyscrapers, preservation and development
Can preservationists learn to love skyscrapers? Sure. Because it’s not the height, the location or how old a build is that matters — it’s quality and how the building will serve people. In this article in the New York Times, “Sure, Build it in My Backyard,” the website of Nikolai Fedak is highlighted. The name…
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