July 20 – Joplin city officials say they will continue to work with veterans as they plan to demolish Memorial Hall and build a veterans memorial park in its place.
The City Council agreed Monday to move forward with a formal effort to solicit proposals from architects for the project. City officials say in documents that “deep community engagement” is expected in the planning process.
A company will be selected to provide demolition and cleanup of the site, create a design and oversee construction of the park, City Manager Nick Edwards told the council. He said the order will be issued on August 5 to qualify those interested in creating a plan.
“This selected company will lead a team of city and community leaders to undertake preservation and assessment of the building’s memorials, seek community feedback and guidance, evaluate a variety of design options based on the feedback received, and provide a cost estimate for the recommended future use of the site as a park worthy of the site’s history and prominence in downtown Joplin,” according to city documents presented to the council Monday.
The city manager said the proposals would ask for a description of how the architect or firm will conduct and incorporate community involvement into the plan. He expects to submit information to the board about selecting a company in October.
History of the hall
A former board member, Phil Stinnett, spoke at Monday’s meeting. He said the history of the building’s construction shows that a community effort to build a veterans memorial first emerged in 1918 and a campaign was started in 1923. Joplin voters then approved a bond proposal. The hall was completed and opened in 1925.
“The election effort was sponsored by the American Legion,” and the city commission at the time approved the use of the property at Eighth Street and Wall Avenue as a site. “The veterans themselves, the American Legion, led all the efforts to get the construction done,” Stinnett said, and the fundraising efforts.
The hall was supposed to be a memorial to those who served in the wars and to local men and women who died.
“But it’s more than that. For anyone who has ever worn a uniform in any shape or form, Memorial Hall, not just the building but also the grounds, represents hallowed ground,” Stinnett said. “I will suggest to you that as you go through the process, you remember what the land was for and the American Legion still exists today in Joplin.”
It is an organization that provides military honors at more than 100 veterans’ funerals a year and organizes an annual Veterans Day parade, among other activities. Stinnett asked city officials to involve the Legion in plans for the property. He also asked that the city lease part of this land to the Legion for a building for its meetings, because the hall had been provided for that purpose.
The Legion had to leave Memorial Hall several years ago due to conditions in the building that included mold.
An analysis earlier this year by Kansas City-based SFS Architecture rated the building’s condition as fair to poor. In addition to the crumbling concrete, walls and entrance ramp, as well as the damaged roof, moisture has infiltrated and is weakening the interior walls and fixtures. Mold continues to spread throughout the interior structure, fixtures and seats, the city was reported. Rehabilitation costs were estimated at US$37 million. Demolition was estimated to cost about $4.7 million.
Current city documents state that if demolition occurs, key elements of the building must be removed and retained for a park.
Existing war memorials on the east and west sides of the hall will be protected and will remain, according to these documents. Items salvaged from the interior must be removed and stored for display at the Joplin History Museum or reinstallation in another building. This would include plaques, displays, the building’s cornerstone and other artifacts.
Legion entrance
After Monday’s meeting and Stinnett’s comments, the city manager was asked by the Globe whether the Legion would be included in the planning process. He said once an architect is hired by the council for the project, planning for the park would fully involve the Legion.
“The Legion would have the opportunity to work directly with design professionals to create a concept for the facilities and properties mentioned by Mr. Stinnett. The other concept would be to create a park in the event the Legion’s plans are not feasible (the which could also include input from the Legion). So yes, the American Legion would be fully included in the design process.”
Bob Harrington, American Legion post commander, said they want a small building on the hall site, suitable to accommodate gatherings of about 50 people.
There are lists of veterans of the Spanish-American War and those killed in World War I inscribed on marble slabs in the hall’s lobby that are not suitable for outdoor display.
“The interior lobby would be a perfect place to display these interior memorials,” Harrington said.
“I think it would be phenomenal to have this building on the Memorial Hall site. I think it would be a really good transition,” he added.
The Legion also envisions the possibility that bricks taken from the Memorial Hall will be used in the facade of the Legion building, should one be erected.
Although some people, including Stinnett, express concern about keeping the outdoor memorial park safe from misuse, Harrington said the presence of post members in the building, along with police patrols and city rangers, could likely prevent bad weather. behavior. Legion members would be willing to help maintain the park, Harrington said.
“It’s a shame the building has deteriorated so far. It’s been deteriorating for a long time,” Harrington said. “But we really want to be part of” the site’s next chapter.
Landmark status
The building is a local landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The nomination for this was written by Jill Halbach, who is affiliated with the Post Memorial Library, which monitors historic properties, and the city’s Historic Preservation Commission. However, under commission rules, there would likely be no protection for the hall because it is city property.
Halbach said the commission should have input into what happens to Memorial Hall, “not because of its inclusion on the National Register, but because it is a local landmark. As such, any proposed extensive changes such as demolition/development (e.g. a park ) would require that a certificate of appropriateness be requested,” from the commission.
“The commission would then approve or deny, and the applicant, in this case the city, would have the option to appeal. An appeal would go to the board and they would uphold or overturn the commission’s decision. Committee members are appointed by the council and our decisions are based on what we, as a committee, are mandated to uphold by the entity that owns this building,” said Halbach.
It’s the loss of a building she said she considers an anchor to Joplin’s inventory of historic structures.
“Personally, I am still trying to understand and process the situation with Memorial Hall. I don’t think I’m just speaking for myself when I say it feels like things got worse quickly,” she said.
“As for the commission, Memorial Hall has been on our radar for some time and it’s clear we have an interest in seeing the building saved. Why else would we have nominated it for local landmark status or hired a consultant (on behalf of the city)? nominate it to the National Register of Historic Places? While we’re all for saving buildings, especially those that, by preservation standards, are at least far from “very lost,” we’re more interested in holding the city accountable for doing due diligence. is to see at least one attempt to sell it before considering any kind of demolition. To me, it’s the same as complaining that no one is interested in buying your house when you haven’t put it up for sale yet,” Halbach said.
Council member Josh Detar, in earlier discussion, sought an extension from the council for the building to seek proposals from any interested parties to come forward to take ownership and repair the building, but he was not joined by any other council member in support this proposal.
