Timeline: Union Depot has survived a troubled history

Feb. 17—The Joplin Union Depot has survived a series of twists and turns resulting from failed plans to renovate the building and attempts to condemn it.

The first attempt on the property was in the 1960s to condemn it for urban redevelopment and a second time was as a dangerous building. City officials later agreed numerous times to provide federal community development funds to various depot projects that never materialized or were started and then halted for a variety of reasons, largely lack of funding or mismanagement.

Those efforts are as follows:

—1964: Before the depot was fully vacated by the railroads that had used the building as a stop for passenger service and later for delivery of the U.S. mail, the local urban renewal authority, called the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority of the city of Joplin, tried to condemn Union Depot to take the land for a downtown redevelopment project. The Joplin Union Depot Co. that owned the property declined to accept an eminent domain payment of $2,250 for the property and the authority filed a lawsuit in Jasper County Circuit Court.

The case laid dormant in the court until 1967, when a jury trial was held. Both sides presented testimony by appraisers. The depot company witnesses set the value of the property at $5,000 and the jury found in favor of the depot. The urban renewal authority appealed.

In 1968, the appeals court ruled that there should be a new trial because the jury verdict was against the weight of the evidence. Further records of the case have not been located to explain what happened that allowed the depot to stay in place.

—1969: The depot is closed after mail trains cease operations.

—February 1972: Joplin's Centennial Commission, which planned events to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the city's founding in 1873, asked the City Council to authorize the city to buy the depot building to provide a venue for some centennial events and as a site to move the Joplin History and Mineral Museum in celebration of the founding. The mining museum advisory board and the Joplin Historical Society had already proposed a plan to add on to the mineral museum in Schifferdecker Park to create a space for local history displays. The centennial commission withdrew its request, citing the plans already pursued by the museum organizations.

—1973: The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

—March 1977: A college student, Kirk Yocum, obtained an option to purchase the Union Depot for $30,000. He planned to use the building for a restaurant and retail shops. Yocum asked the Joplin City Council to provide $70,000 in community development funds toward the cost of building renovation. Yocum had obtained an estimate that $30,000 would be needed to repair the concrete exterior and the building also would need a new roof. There is no record of the outcome of that request.

—June 1979: Renaissance Renovation and Development, a Columbia, Missouri, firm, announced plans to purchase and renovate the depot. That firm was doing preliminary cleanup work at the building while the Kansas City Southern Industries considered an offer to sell the property to Renaissance. Part of the building would have become a restaurant and the remainder would have been offices and shops. The firm planned to spend $500,000 on the renovation project. A short time later, Renaissance principals said they had a deal to sell the building to a Joplin couple who would use it for a Spanish-themed restaurant if adequate financing could be obtained. That agreement fell through.

—February 1984: The depot was purchased by Emerald City Investments Inc. from Renaissance Renovation and Development. Emerald City had plans to start renovation work in June of that year for a restaurant and retail shops. Emerald City involved the Girard, Kansas, owner of a printing company, Walter Webb, who said he intended to pursue state and federal historic tax credits to help pay for the project. That project also did not proceed.

—September 1984: Joplin city building inspectors tagged the depot as a dangerous building and the owner of record, Emerald City Investments Inc., was given 60 days to bring the structure into compliance with city building codes. Those repairs would have involved covering broken windows to prevent trespassing and making electrical and plumbing repairs. If no action was taken, the case would be referred to the city's Building Board of Appeals for action.

—May 1985: The building board case against the depot owner, Emerald City, was closed because the building had been boarded up to prevent trespassing and no longer met the definition of dangerous, according to Globe stories at that time.

—May 1986: A Wentworth woman, Nancy Allman, announced she was embarking on a $1.25 million plan to buy and renovate the depot. The financing plan called for the use of $1 million from industrial revenue bonds, $125,000 each from the city of Joplin community development funds and from investor equity. Her plan was to repair the exterior, install a garden in the lobby, and have restaurant and banquet facilities inside along with a train museum and leased retail and business spaces.

Construction work started on the Nancy Allman plan for renovation but soon went off track with disputes between Allman and contractors who said they did not get paid. Lawsuits and liens were filed by contractors and suppliers and the developer contended she had obtained a $500,000 mortgage to continue the project.

—1989: A loan of $175,000 obtained from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources resulted in foreclosure by the DNR because Allman could not fulfill the financial responsibilities incurred on the project. The DNR said it loaned the money because assurances were provided that the additional funds were available to continue progress on the rehabilitation. Since that time, the building ownership has been in the hands of the DNR, which has had it for sale since then.