Missouri State Foundation becomes new owner of downtown Springfield's Old Glass Place
The Old Glass Place, a wedding and event venue in downtown Springfield, has a new owner: The Missouri State Foundation. The nonprofit announced the purchase Monday morning.
The Old Glass Place is located at 521 E. St. Louis St, and opened in May 2014, after 18 months of work renovating the then-106-year-old-building.
“We are excited about our new adventure and ownership,” said Brent Dunn, executive director of the MSU Foundation.
The Old Glass Place will be managed by 425 Downtown LLC, and will continue to be available to the public for banquets, parties, weddings and meetings.
The MSU foundation also owns and operates the Kenneth E. Meyer Alumni Center in downtown Springfield.
More:MSU to sell Walnut Street house, move student art gallery downtown
The foundation will host a ribbon cutting at 3 p.m. Feb. 23, followed by a public open house until 5 p.m.
The acquisition was made possible in part by a significant charitable gift from the venue’s previous owners, Al Miller and Roger Malarkey, according to a MSU Foundation press release.
"It was a good fit for it. We thought they could carry on what we did, and they have a lot of resources. I couldn't think of a better place for it to go to," Miller said in an interview with the News-Leader.
Miller and Malarkey announced they had sold the venue on Feb. 1 in a Facebook post.
"We're getting older, and this was kind of a hobby business — not for Roger (Malarkey) — but it required a lot of time," Miller said. Miller owns an ambulance manufacturer in Springfield, Miller Coach Company.
Miller and Malarkey are already planning on what to do with their newly acquired free time.
"We want to do some traveling," Malarkey said.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: MSU Foundation takes over ownership of Springfield event venue
