Researcher: Memorial Hall likely to be added to national historic list

May 7—While the urban renewal movement that swept through the country in the middle decades of the 20th century claimed many historic downtown buildings, Joplin's Memorial Hall survived.

That reference was cited Thursday night during a City Hall public meeting at which the researcher and author of Memorial Hall's current nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, Matthew A. Pearce, noted his optimism about the building's chances for inclusion on the national listing. Pearce, principal historian for the Preservation and Design Studio of Oklahoma City, reviewed his 85-page report documenting the building's architecture and history for its nomination.

He said it was the local American Legion that called voters into action in 1923 to incur debt to construct the building as a tribute to the city's war dead. By 1925, the building had risen on a site at 212 W. Eighth St. where an early day school building had been sold to the city to be razed for the project. The school district used the $30,000 from the sale to build an elementary school.

A half-century later, when an electrical failure in the hall interrupted shows and concerts, city officials knew it was time for renovation. That brought updated mechanical, sound and lighting systems, an updated auditorium and stage, and a ramp that replaced the building's front stairs for easier access by the veterans who still met there.

The work gave the building "the appearance of a new building," reported the Globe. A famous composer and orchestra conductor of the time, Henry Mancini, headlined a grand reopening celebration for the 1976-77 renovation.

"Such commitment to preserving Memorial Hall in 1976-77," Pearce said, "is even more remarkable given that the city was simultaneously underwriting a redevelopment program that destroyed several historic properties in the vicinity, including (a former) Joplin City Hall and the Connor Hotel."

Even country great Garth Brooks performed at the hall, he said. Two concerts sold 6,000 tickets.

Another star is the building's architecture, a Classical Revival-style building designed by a pair of brothers who are responsible for a number of other locally significant buildings, August and Alfred Michaelis. The exterior, Pearce said, is notable for its materials and workmanship which includes a buff brick pediment and stone colonnades on the north building front.

The 1970s renovation did not destroy the original foyer and lobby construction and materials, which include stone memorials to Joplin residents killed in wars through World War I. The memorials to those killed in World War II and Vietnam are freestanding pillars installed on the building's lawns.

Another memorial, a brass plaque, remains in lobby marking the death of the youngest of the architect brothers, Alfred Michaelis. As the building was being finished, Michaelis climbed onto a beam above the stage to inspect a construction detail and, at age 44, fell 50 feet to his death.

His grieving brother, whose mother had died about the same time, then left Joplin after the building was finished. It was the last Michaelis brothers building to be built in Joplin.

"The interior layout had really changed little from the original design of the Michaelises," Pearce said Thursday night. "Public spaces as the foyer and the auditorium lobby retain their original finishes such as marble wainscot and wallbase," along with the open stairways and mosaic tile landings.

"It allows Memorial Hall to remain in use as an entertainment venue while retaining its historic feeling and character," Pearce said.

He believes it is likely the building's nomination to the National Register of Historic Places will be accepted.

The nomination will be heard July 17 by the Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. If that panel votes to advance the nomination, it will then go to the State Historic Preservation Office, which makes formal recommendations to the keeper of the national register.

After it is received there, an official determination is made within 45 days of receiving it from the state.

Arts advocate Cleo Copeland, one of those who attended the meeting, asked what would be received to commemorate the listing on the register if it is accepted.

Pearce said the city receives a certificate and can buy a plaque.

The listing is important "because it tells the city this place matters," Pearce said. "It also opens it up to grants and gives you the opportunity to tell its story."