Never Forget: The Third Anniversary of the Uptown Demolition

By Ryan Reed

Today marks the third anniversary of the demolition of the Uptown Theater and the adjacent Knapp Home.  Looking out your window on this cold blustery day, it is hard to believe it was an unusually warm Spring day when a massive backhoe punched a hole in the north wall of the theater.  What is even harder to believe is eight months prior to its demolition, the Rolla Business Association strongly recommended “the Uptown Theater be renovated and revived into a discount movie house” as part of a downtown revitalization plan.  Perhaps the icing on the cake is the historic theater was demoed for the alumni association of a university who has been internationally recognized as a leader in sustainability.  The proposed demolition created an outcry by the students of Missouri S&T and longtime residents of Rolla for the retention and adaptive reuse of the theater.  However, the theater was demoed for an alumni house that has yet to be built nor has the funds in place for its construction.

Image courtesy of the Rolla, MO Hometown Non-Censored Facebook Page

In September 2009, the future of the Uptown was bright.  The Meramec Regional Planning Commission in conjunction with the Rolla Downtown Business Association produced the City of Rolla Downtown Plan.  The intention of the plan was to be a vehicle for new life, economic vigor and long-term viability of downtown Rolla.  Among the marketing plans and strategies was a detailed plan for the renovation of the Uptown Theater into a discount movie house.  The plan stated;

“This starts with contacting the present owner and contracting a developer to plan and execute the renovation. Advertizing the new discount movie house is to begin when renovation begins, and extend well after its opening to the public. Research and ascertain the most popular movies among college students (Star Trek marathon, Star Wars series, Ladies Night, Rocky Horror Picture Show night) and advertise the movies to be played in the first few months. Offer student concessions. Bring in famous personality for the grand opening and put movie house into operation.”

The plan estimated the renovation of the Uptown would cost a minimum of $300,000.  The feasibility of the renovation of the Uptown would have increased with the use of historic tax credits.  The historic theater, designed in 1941 by Carl and Robert Boller of Kansas City, could have been individually nominated for the National Register of Historic Places.  The Boller Brothers designed over 100 theaters across the nation.  Several of their theaters have been placed on the National Register including the KiMo is Albuquerque, New Mexico, which was saved from the wrecking ball and has undergone an extensive restoration.  If placed on the National Register, the Uptown would have been eligible for state and federal tax credits.  Utilizing these incentives would have credited  45% of the rehabilitation cost in taxes or the credits could have been sold to a bank or another developer.

Flyer by Missouri S&T student, Margret Powell

One month after the creation of the City of Rolla Downtown Plan, the Missouri Department of Economic Development announced that Rolla was selected to participate in the Downtown Revitalization and Economic Assistance for Missouri (DREAM) Initiative.  The DREAM Initiative was a program designed to help communities to more efficiently and effectively engage in downtown redevelopment and revitalization efforts.  Being selected for the initiative meant that Rolla gained access to financial assistance. Specifically, Rolla would receive $160,000 from the state for infrastructure improvements, historic preservation and job creation.  One of the focus areas of the initiative in Rolla was the north entrance to downtown area on Pine Street which included the historic theater.  John Petersen, the Director of Rolla Community Development considered the Uptown an “keystone building” in the revitalization of downtown.

It appeared that the Uptown’s future was secure.  Financing was in place for the revitalization of Pine and Rolla Streets and the historic theater would play an integral part of these efforts.  This outlook drastically changed in three months.  By January 2010, plans were set into motion of the demolition of the Uptown.  Within eight months of Rolla’s designation as a DREAM community, the Uptown would be gone.

On Friday, January 22, 2010, Marianne Ward, the Director of the Missouri S&T Alumni Association announced plans for an alumni center at the northeast corner of Pine and Eleventh Streets.  After inspecting eleven different sites around Rolla, the alumni association chose the location due to its proximity to campus and its connection with downtown (typically know as uptown to Rollites.)  The Director also stated the Uptown and adjoining Knapp Home would be razed because the reuse of these buildings was not an option.  These statements counteracted months of research conducted by the City of Rolla and the Rolla Business Association which strongly recommended the theater’s reuse as a key element of downtown revitalization.  The statements of demolition by the Director of the alumni association also counteract the sustainability goals of the university. 

At the turn of the twenty-first century, Missouri S&T became the first university in the nation to voluntarily commit to an Environmental Management System (EMS).  An EMS provides a structured approach to the planning and implementation of environmental protection procedures using the guidelines set forth under the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).  These guidelines encourage creative and relevant solutions from within the organization itself to reduce its impact on the environment and our natural resources.  To further their commitment, MS&T implemented a sustainability policy to minimize the university’s pollutants and advocate environmental stewardship. Stated within the purpose of their policy is the continual improvement of environmental stewardship with respect to materials, water and energy use.

The university further advocated sustainability through the Student Design and Experimental Learning Center (SDELC).  The center allows experimental learning through projects supporting multi-disciplinary student research.  These projects include initiatives in solar technology to limit our dependence on finite resources.  The projects include the solar decathlon and solar housing which have given the university international recognition concerning solar technology.  Currently, the university is in the midst of creating a geothermal energy system that would cut in half its energy consumption and reduce its carbon footprint by 25,000 metric tons per year.  Yet, the university’s alumni association is willing to demolition two buildings that ended up in a landfill.  The retention and adaptive reuse of our historic buildings also plays a massive role in sustainability. 13% of solid waste in Missouri landfills comes from demolition waste. Nationally it accounts for 30% of solid waste in landfills.  The adaptive reused of the Uptown could have been another feather in the cap for the university in their goal towards sustainability.  Instead, it created dissention among native Rollites, university students and alumni.

Photo courtesy of the Save the Uptown Rolla! Facebook Page

The public outcry against the demolition of the Uptown was strong.  Within weeks of the proposal, university students band together with the purpose of stopping the demolition.  On February 3, 2010, a protest was held on campus.  Missouri S&T senior, Josh Spehn stated to the Rolla Daily News “We are opposed to the sale, we don’t agree with its proposed use.”  His sentiment resounded with thousands of people.  A petition was created to stop the demolition and over 1,200 signatures were secured.  A poll taken by the Rolla Daily News to gauge the future of the Uptown revealed that out of 1,279 individuals, 63% of them wanted to keep the theater in place.  A Facebook page, Save the Uptown Rolla! was created to raise awareness of the demolition.  Days before the demolition, the Uptown became littered with graffiti concerning the looming demolition.  Statements that graced the building read “The Uptown will never be forgotten”,  “This is why I’m never joining the Miner Alumni Association”  and “Avenge Me!”  What is interesting is the initial push to save the Uptown came from university students and facility.  Their momentum swelled and quickly involved alumni, natives and Rolla expats.  Even with the massive outcry against demolition, the Uptown fell to the wrecking ball on March 24, 2010.

The demolition of the Uptown was a turning point concerning the preservation of our historic buildings and retaining a walkable and sustainable community.  It has also created a greater awareness of the threats against buildings with local significance including the Trachoma Hospital, Rayl Cafeteria and the Chamberlain House.  It has also created awareness of a number less significant buildings that create a neighborhood.  This sense of a neighborhood is often carried by a number of buildings that none of which would be individually highly significant or eligible for the National Register. However, the retention of these less significant buildings attaches people to their community and provides a sense of place and connects us to our shared heritage.

The Missouri University of Science and Technology has been very beneficial to Rolla since its establishment in 1870.  It is the largest employer in Rolla.  It has helped our population grow and has put us on the international spectrum for its engineering program.  However, the university has not been good stewards of our shared community.  The loss of the Uptown and the proposed demolition of the Trachoma Hospital (Rock Mechanics), Rayl Cafeteria and other smaller residences and commercial buildings adjacent to the university according to their Campus Master Plan is not in sync with their goal of sustainability.  The rehabilitation of our historic built environment would further the university’s commitment to their sustainability policy and EMS.  Rehabilitation and adaptive reuse could also be integrated into the curriculum of the university and be used as a learning opportunity for SDELC. The combination of these opportunities has the ability to attract more students to the university and individuals and families to Rolla while maintaining Rolla’s cultural heritage.

Let us promote a sustainable future that includes a walkable, close knit community that retains and adaptively reuses our historic built environment.   Let us have an economically viable and dense downtown.  Let us have a sustainable city that reuses existing infrastructure, decrease sprawl and saves the embodied energy of materials used in the construction of buildings.  Finally, let us never forget the demolition of the Uptown.

George Menefee: The First St. Pat

By Ryan Reed

Menefee as St. Pat in 1908.*

Every March since 1908, the canonization of St. Patrick is delegated to a mortal student to represent the patron of engineers.  The original St. Patrick was born in Scotland during 432 and was captured by Pagans and carried to Ireland. During his six years on the Emerald Isle he was enslaved as a sheep herder.  At the age of twenty, St. Patrick absconded back to Scotland only to return to Ireland by the commandment of God to convert the Pagans.  Within forty years, he converted the entire island and died an elderly man on March 17.  Rolla’s original St. Pat was from the Bluegrass state.  Known around campus as the Kentucky Colonel, he was called to the Ozarks in 1907 to study Civil and Mining Engineering. At the age of 22, he left our city for Birmingham, Alabama via Berkeley, California.

The residents of Rolla and students enrolled at the Missouri University of Science and Technology are well versed in the events of the first St. Pat’s celebration.  Students were denied a request to dismiss class to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.  In retaliation, the secretly met and plotted the first Best Ever.  On Tuesday, March 17, 1908, St. Patrick arrived on a handcar.  The student body escorted him to campus where he was met by a disapproving faculty at the steps of Norwood Hall.  St. Pat approached the 29 year old director of the Missouri School of Mines, Lewis E. (Lew) Young, and asked him to bow and receive a blessing.  Young obliged and supposedly St. Pat stated, “I dub you the first Honorary Knight of St. Patrick of Rolla.”  Thus began a tradition that has lasted for over a century.

This well documented event has become legend on the university and in the city of Rolla.  What is less known is the life of the first St. Patrick, George Gilmore Menefee.  He was obviously a popular person among the student body to be chosen to portray St. Pat on that fateful day. However, very little is known about Menefee.

Menefee from Georgetown College yearbook in 1907*

George Menefee was born in Stanford, Kentucky on July 25, 1886 to Dr. John N. Menefee and Ellen Cowan.  His father was a farmer and subsequently was elected as the Mayor of Stanford.  As a child he attended Stanford public schools and excelled at his studies.  Menefee is mentioned numerous times in the local paper, The Interior Journal, as being on the honor roll of his school.  During his teenage years, Menefee was active with the local drama club.  He consistently had leading roles in plays such as “Cousin Faithful” and “A Notable Outcast.”  The Interior Journal stated in 1905 that Menefee “had been before the footlights several times in good parts.”  Menefee graduated from the Stanford Male Academy in 1905 and was accepted to attend Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky.  While attending Georgetown, Menefee immersed himself in activities and organizations.  He was a member of Delta Phi Fraternity, captain of the football team and played upright bass with the school’s music department.  For unknown reasons he left Georgetown after his sophomore year and traveled to attend the Missouri School of Mines in Rolla.

The Missouri University of Science and Technology archives has very little information concerning Menefee’s time on campus.  What is known is he only took one course in Civil and Mining Engineering.  There is currently no record of Menefee being a part of any organization on campus; however he was likely very well known among the student body.  Nicknamed the Kentucky Colonel, Menefee’s only known contribution to the university was portraying St. Patrick.  He likely had no comprehension of his impact upon the history of the university.  By the summer of 1908, Menefee left Rolla to attend the University of California-Berkeley to study chemistry.  Menefee's stay in Berkeley was brief.  By November 1909 he accepted a position as a chemist with the Lakeside Sugar Refinery in Eagle Lake, Texas.

During his adult life, Menefee worked various jobs across the country.  Prior to the United States involvement in World War I, Menefee had worked in Eagle Lake, Texas, Columbus, Ohio Birmingham, Alabama and Syracuse, New York.  His employment typically consisted of working as a salesman with a plethora of companies including the Forest Paint Company in Syracuse, New York and the Ohio Varnish Company in Birmingham, Alabama.  While crisscrossing the country, Menefee met and married native Kentuckian Hallie James Edwards.  Edwards had a daughter and a son from a previous marriage.  Menefee and his new family finally settled in Birmingham, Alabama where he would live the remainder of his life.

Georgetown College football team, 1907.  Menefee is second from left in the back row.*

The Menefee’s lived life as a typical middle class family in Birmingham.  George was employed as a manager with the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.  His wife tended to the rigors of the home while her two children attended school.  In 1920, Hallie began to suffer from a prolonged cough and chest pains.  She was diagnosed with Pulmonary Tuberculosis and was admitted into the Red Mountain Tuberculosis Sanatorium near the suburb of Homewood south of Birmingham.  As her conditions worsened, Hallie was moved to the larger St. Joseph’s Sanatorium in Asheville, North Carolina.  Within months of her move, Hallie succumbed to the disease and died on December 15, 1922.

After his wife’s death Menefee met and married divorcee Beauford Terry Henderson.  Similar to Hallie, she had two children from a previous marriage.  For the remainder of his life, Menefee continued to work with Goodyear.  On August 3, 1943, George Menefee passed away in Birmingham at the age of 57.  His remains were transported back to Stanford, Kentucky and buried in the Menefee family plot at Buffalo Springs Cemetery.

George Menefee may have never known the impact he had on Rolla and the university yet for over a century we reenact the events he first acted out.  The arrival in Rolla on a handcar, the march down Pine Street and the submission of the faculty to the will of St. Pat, these acts have become tradition and Menefee will forever be held in high esteem in Rolla.

* Image of Menefee as St. Pat courtesy of the Missouri University of Science and Technology Archives.

* Image of Menefee from the Delta Phi Fraternity Courtesy of Georgetown College, Bolton Archives, The Belle of the Blue: 1907

* Image of Menefee from the Georgetown College Football Team Courtesy of Georgetown College, Bolton Archives, The Belle of the Blue: 1907 

Special thanks to Leann Arndt of the State Historic Society of Missouri-Research Center-Rolla

 

Threatened: The Missouri Trachoma Hospital

By Ryan Reed

According to the 2009 Campus Master Plan for the Missouri University of Science and  Technology, the former Missouri Trachoma Hospital (currently Rock Mechanics) is to be razed and replaced with a parking lot for the campus recreational facilities. Missouri S&T is committed to creating a sustainable campus to minimize the university's impact.  The retention and continued use of property could be another feather in the cap towards Missouri S&T's sustainability efforts.

The Former Missouri Trachoma Hospital

Trachoma, a disease afflicting the eyes, was the leading cause of blindness in the United States during the turn of the twentieth century.  The disease was particularly prevalent in a belt stretching from eastern Kentucky to eastern Oklahoma.  Known as “The Trachoma Belt,” 75% of all cases of the infection in the 1920’s occurred within this area.  To combat trachoma, President Woodrow Wilson allocated federal funds to the United States Public Health Service.  The Health Service used the funds to construct the first trachoma hospital, in Richmond, Kentucky, in September of 1913.  Ten years later, a trachoma clinic opened within an existing hospital in Rolla, MO.  The Federal Health Department decided to withdraw their management of the clinic in Rolla on March 12, 1936.  General operations of the clinic were transferred to the Missouri State Health Department.

The Missouri State Health Department deemed the facilities of the trachoma clinic in Rolla insufficient.  During the 1930’s, Missouri was paying over $280,000 a year in blind pensions to victims of trachoma.  Determined to build a facility exclusively for the treatment of trachoma, the Missouri State Legislature allotted $75,000 of state funds for the construction of a new hospital.  The federal government supplemented the state funds with $61,363 of federal funds through the Public Works Administration.  The Rolla Chamber of Commerce selected a site at the northwest corner of the intersection of highways 66 and 63.  The site, situated on a high knoll, was purchased from the Missouri School of Mines for $2,000.  A construction contract was awarded to J.E. Williams of University City, MO for $104,573.  A ceremonial ground breaking took place on January 3, 1939.  Due to the funding of a state hospital by the state of Missouri in an attempt to diminish the cost incurred to victims of trachoma, the former hospital has state wide significance.

On July 29, 1939, a cornerstone ceremony was held at the nearly completed hospital building.  The ceremony was presided over by Malvern B. Clopton, President of the Missouri State Board of Health.  In attendance were Governor Lloyd Stark and the director of the Kentucky Trachoma Hospital, Dr. Arthur McCormick.  The cornerstone was laid by Karl Vetsburg, the Grand Master of the Missouri Masonic Lodge.  During his address, Stark stated “this building is a symbol of the humanitarianism which is traditional of the people of Missouri.”  At the time, the Missouri Trachoma Hospital was the second such hospital in the nation.  Two more trachoma hospitals were constructed in Oklahoma and Arkansas.  Only four trachoma hospitals were ever in operation in the United States, thus giving the Missouri Trachoma Hospital national significance.

Laying of the cornerstone in 1939

The site also has great local significance.  Immediately south of the hospital near highway 66 is a capped well surrounded by a small wrought iron fence.  The well was once part of the first homestead located in what would become the city of Rolla.  Philadelphia native, John Webber left his home in Gallatin County, Illinois with his wife and two young children and headed west.  Webber, for unknown reasons, chose to settle on the high knoll in 1844 where the hospital now stands.  He immediately constructed a home and purchased the forty acres where his residence stood.

Thirteen years later, in 1857, Phelps County was created.   Fifty largely undeveloped acres were donated by railroad contractor, Edmund Ward Bishop to become the seat of Phelps County.  Bishop’s donation became the city of Rolla.  In the same year, the city’s boundaries were determined by Webber, Bishop and George Coppedge, another early settler, at Webber’s home.  Even the name of the new city, supposedly a phonetic spelling of the North Carolina capitol Raleigh, was agreed upon at the Webber residence.  Webber and his family remained at the home until 1876 when they moved to Edgar Springs in southern Phelps County.  Webber died in 1889 and is buried in the Rolla Cemetery.

John Webber

At the turn of the twenty-first century, the MS&T became the first university in the nation to voluntarily commit to an Environmental Management System (EMS).  An EMS provides a structured approach to the planning and implementation of environmental protection procedures using the guidelines set forth under the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).  These guidelines encourage creative and relevant solutions from within the organization itself to reduce its impact on the environment and our natural resources.  To further their commitment, MS&T implemented a sustainability policy to minimize the university’s pollutants and advocate environmental stewardship. Stated within the purpose of their policy is the continual improvement of environmental stewardship with respect to materials, water and energy use.

The university further advocates sustainability through the Student Design and Experimental Learning Center (SDELC).  The center allows experimental learning through projects supporting multi-disciplinary student research.  These projects include initiatives in solar technology to limit our dependence on finite resources.  The projects include the solar decathlon and solar housing which have given the university international recognition concerning solar technology.

In contrast, the demolition of the Trachoma would counteract Missouri S&T's goals of sustainability.  The amount of waste created by the Trachoma would be astounding.  According to Richard Moe, former president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, "Demolishing a 50,000 square foot building creates 4,000 tons of waste, enough to fill 26 box cars - a train one-quarter mile long." Additionally, "Constructing a new 50,000 square foot building releases as much carbon as driving a car 2.8 million miles."

Recently, an eligibility assessment of the Trachoma for the National Register of Historic Place was conducted by the Missouri State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) in Jefferson City.  SHPO deemed the former hospital eligible for listing on the National Register for its local and state wide significance due to its association with events that had a large impact on our culture.

If you would like to voice your opinion against the proposed demolition of the former Trachoma, contact the following individuals.  Let's work together and keep this historic building, which is a viable and necessary element of Rolla's built environment.

Bill Jenks - Mayor of Rolla

Cheryl B. Schrader - Missouri S&T Chancellor

5th Ward City Council Members (where Trachoma is located)

     Jim Williams

     Carrolyn Bolin

Nancy Faulkner and the Great War of Nations Memorial

By Ryan Reed

The Great War of Nations Memorial dominating the Rolla Cemetery skyline was created to honor the twenty-one Phelps Countians who died during World War I.  Dedicated on May 9th, 1923, the memorial of contrasting red and black granite was sponsored by the Noah Coleman Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.  The men who gave the ultimate sacrifice during “the war to end all wars” are well documented.  However, very little is known about the memorial’s designer, Nancy Faulkner.

Great War of Nations Memorial

Nancy Rowe Faulkner was born in DeSoto, Missouri on December 13, 1866 to Dr. Samuel and Mary Hutchings Rowe.  In 1875, Dr. Rowe moved his young family to Rolla from DeSoto and opened a drug store on Pine Street.  After obtaining his MD from Washington University, Dr. Rowe became the chair of the Medical Advisory Board and Assistant Medical Examiner for Phelps County.  While Nancy’s father was achieving great prominence in Rolla, she was educated at the public schools and excelled in the arts.  After completing her studies, Nancy married Millard Fillmore Faulkner, who was employed as a manager in her father’s store.

After their marriage, Nancy and Millard Faulkner continued to live in the residence above Rowe’s Drug Store on Pine Street until the completion of a large two story rock house.  The former Faulkner Home on North State Street is currently occupied by the Triangle Fraternity.  Millard became involved with local politics and eventually became the Mayor of Rolla.  During his political career, Millard took over the operations of Dr. Rowe’s Drug Store and hired several of his nephews to work as clerks and druggists. Among his newly employed family members was Virgil Faulkner, son of his older brother Charles.  Virgil continued to work at the drug store until America’s involvement with World War I.

Virgil Faulkner enlisted as a soldier and left Rolla on April 28, 1918.  His destination was Camp Funston at Fort Riley near Manhattan, Kansas.  Upon arrival at Camp Funston, Virgil became a Private in Company E, 354th Infantry of the 89th Division.  Among 50,000 other recruits from the Midwest, Virgil began basic training under the command of Major General Leonard Wood.  Four weeks later, the 89th Division boarded trains and headed east to New York City.  From New York, the division sailed to England and subsequently France.  Virgil’s baptism by fire occurred on the night of August 6th, 1918 at Toul, France when the 354th Infantry was shelled by canisters of mustard gas.  The following month, Virgil faced the 10th German Infantry in the Battle of Saint-Mihiel.  The 89th Division attacked from Flirey, moving through the Bois de Mort Mare towards Thiaucourt.  The battle concluded after three days and over 7,000 Allied troops were dead.

Nancy Rowe Faulkner

Following the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, the 89th Division joined the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.  Virgil arrived with the 354th Infantry on the night of October 19th.  He was ordered to go into the line along the Sommerance-Romagne Road. This was to the north of the German position which had been taken by the 32nd Divison the week before. The Division was tasked with straightening the front line in the Bois de Bantheville before the planned attack on the 1st of November.  The forest had reportedly been cleared by the departing 32nd Division, but the Germans had re infiltrated and the 354th Infantry set about clearing the forest of enemy soldiers again.  During the push to remove the Germans from the Bois de Bantheville, Virgil Faulkner was killed in action at the age of 22.  He was the first Phelps Countian who gave the ultimate sacrifice during World War I.  He was buried in France and was reinterred in the Rolla Cemetery after the war.

At the conclusion of the war, the Noah Coleman Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution sponsored a memorial to be constructed to honor the fallen soldiers of Phelps County.  Among the members of the chapter was Virgil Faulkner’s aunt, Nancy Rowe Faulkner.  Recognized for her artist talents, Nancy was commissioned to design a memorial. As the memorial was being completed and the city anticipated it’s unveiling, Nancy husband, Millard Faulkner, passed away.  Dealing with the loss of her husband, Nancy attended the dedication where Governor Arthur M. Hyde unveiled the new monument known as The Great War of Nations Memorial.

The memorial originally sat adjacent to the Rolla Post Office on Pine Street, currently the Public Library. In 1956, the monument was relocated to its present location in the Rolla Cemetery.  Among the list of the soldiers of Phelps County who perished during World War I were:

Virgil A. Faulkner

Frances A. Garmack

John Wiedeman

Herman Lupberger

William H. Crolley

Don Mitchell

Albert Eickman

Robert L. Price

James A. Hyatt

Lindsey Lanning

Morris Thomas

Walter Splith

William Allen

Charles Arthur

Homer Reed

Lewis Simms

Ellas Barnical

Emil H. Hoffman

Hugh W. Finley

Oscar Bailey

Issac A. Bridgeman

Tell Sen. Brown to Vote “NO” on SB-5 and SB-32

By Ryan Reed

On Jan 30, 2013, the Senate Committee on Jobs and Economic Development held a hearing on Senate Bill 5 (SB-5) and Senate Bill 32 (SB-32).   Sponsored by Senator Brad Lager of Savannah and Senator John Lamping of St. Louis, each bill would significantly lower the cap on State Historic Tax Credits.  If passed, SB-5 and SB-32 could have a crippling effect on a program that has made a significant financial impact across the State of Missouri.

Created in 1998, the Missouri State Historic Tax Credit is a law providing an investment tax credit equal to 25 percent of approved costs associated with qualified rehabilitations.  The resulting financial impacts have been a boon for the state.  Between 1998 and 2010 the Missouri State Historic Tax Credit has resulted in 43,105 jobs created or retained, leveraged $2.9 billion in private investment, and generated $669 million in local and state tax revenues.  Not only has the tax credits helped out urban centers, it has been beneficial to our rural communities.  In fact, of the 74 communities in Missouri that have utilized historic tax credits, 68 have been rural communities.  Specifically, Springfield leveraged roughly $130 million in private investments from historic tax credits while Cape Girardeau leveraged $35 million.  Why would our state legislature want to cap and sunset an incentive that has compounded benefits economically and greatly enhanced Missouri’s communities?

15 North Main Street in Cape Girardeau.  Before and After.

A specific example on a single property utilizing state historic tax credits and the compounding financial benefits within a community is 15 North Main Street in Cape Girardeau.    Rehabbed by Michael Hess in 2012, the project incurred over $230,000 in expenses of which $212,000 was eligible for the state historic tax credit resulting in $53,000 in credits. Below is breakdown of figures.

Benefits Accrued by the State and Local Community:

An increase of employment from 5 to 30 individuals.
Generating 4 to 5 times more in local sales tax
Generating 4 to 5 times more in state sales tax

 Increase in Tax Revenue:

State income tax will be generated on 30 jobs instead of 5 jobs

Went from paying $2,000 per month in sales tax to nearly $10,000 per month in sales tax

Generating between $3,320 and $4,400 a month more in state sales tax

Generating between $2,680 and $3,600 a month more in local sales tax

Property tax revenue to the county will increase.

Rather than being demolished and all the building material ending up in a landfill, the building has found new life and is a tangible piece of the town’s history.  It keeps the character of the town in place making it unique from any other town.

Our senator, Dan Brown of Rolla, has stated that he is not in favor of the state historic tax credit.  If you live in District 16, which includes Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Montgomery, Osage, Phelps and Pulaski Counties, please contact Senator Brown and tell him to vote “NO” on SB-5 and SB-32.  He can be contacted at Dan.Brown@senate.mo.gov or via telephone at (573) 751-5713.  If you are not sure what to say, please copy and paste the message below into an email with your name.

Senator Brown,

I am a voter in the 16^th Missouri Senate District and I would like you to vote “NO” on SB-5 and SB-32 which would severely cap and subsequently sunset the Missouri State Historic Tax Credit.

The Missouri State Historic Tax Credit has been economically beneficial for the State of Missouri since its creation in 1998.  Specifically, the Missouri State Historic Tax Credit has resulted in 43,105 jobs created or retained, leveraged $2.9 billion in private investment, and generated $669 million in local and state tax revenues.  Not only has the tax credits helped out urban centers, it has been beneficial to our rural communities.  In fact, of the 74 communities in Missouri that have utilized historic tax credits, 68 have been rural communities.  Specifically, Springfield leveraged roughly $130 million in private investments from historic tax credits while Cape Girardeau leveraged $35 million.

As an elected official representing my district, please vote no on SB-5 and SB-32. 

Thank You

(YOUR NAME)

If you live outside of Senator Brown’s district but are not sure who your senator is you can find them on the Legislative Look-Up on the State of Missouri's website.

Thank you for your time and commitment!

Rolla Preservation Alliance

Deciphering Preservation Jargon: Local and National Historic Districts

By Ryan Reed

Making a case for preservation opens a lexiconic can of worms that can be overwhelming and difficult to understand.  Historic district, contributing resource, state and federal tax credits, preservation review can easily confuse and scare anyone not familiar with the language.  Broken into manageable pieces, the different facets of the laws that can assist or hinder preservation efforts are pretty simple.

Phelps County Courthouse.  Listed in the National Register in 1993

The National Historic Preservation Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on October 15, 1966.  This act established a national policy regarding preservation and created several institutions including the National Register of Historic Places.  The register is an official list of districts, buildings, sites, structures and objects worthy of preservation with significance to our culture, architecture and history.   For inclusion on the National Register, a property’s physical appearance and significance must be evaluated through a nomination process.  To be in the National Register, the nominated property must meet at least one of four criterions.  This criterion includes an association with a significant person or event in American history, significance in design and construction and/or potential information that could be garnered through archaeology.  Concerning the physical integrity of the building, if several historic elements of a building (i.e. windows and wall cladding) have been removed or heavily altered; the building may not make it past the nomination process.  If your property has not been heavily altered, is significant through one or more criterion and is over 50 years old, it has the potential to be listed on the National Register.

Many questions from property owners can arise when their home or business could potentially be listed in the National Register.  Will the government tell me what color I have to paint my house?  Do I have to make my house look like it did in 1885?  Will my house be open to the public?  The short answer to all of the above is no.  On its own, the National Register has little impact on private property owners.  For starters, individual properties cannot be nominated without the owner’s consent.  Historic districts cannot be listed without the permission of a majority of property owners within the district’s boundary.  The federal government does not implement any design guidelines for your home if it is individually listed or within a historic district.  Also, listing in the National Register does not protect sites from demolition or alteration.  The only restriction that comes with listing is a review of projects using federal funds that could negatively impact the site or district.  Known as a Section 106, this is one of the many institutions created when the National Historic Preservation Act was signed into law.  The project potentially affecting the property is reviewed by federal and state agencies.  These agencies work to mitigate the effects of the project which could include blocking demolition or moving the affected property.

1435 Salisbury in North St. Louis. Located in the Hyde Park Historic District, owners were able to utilize state and federal tax credits for a rehab.

When individuals discuss how they can’t replace their windows or tear down their garage, they are referring to local historic districts.  Unlike national historic districts, a local historic district is a bottom up operation involving rules and regulation created by neighborhood residents.  In comparison, homeowners in a national historic district are not bound by any commitment as to how their property will look or by any rules that govern future repairs of their home.  Local historic districts require a tremendous amount of community support.  Typically, residents in a neighborhood will create and consent to a set of design guidelines.  These design guidelines typically govern new construction and relate to all exterior features including windows, rooflines, paint colors, etc.  Therefore, the people of the neighborhood, not the government, create and agree to follow a set of local regulations.

There are several advantages to being in a local or national historic district.  Many property owners seek National Register designation, because it allows access to state and federal historic tax credits.  If your building is a contributing resource in a district, meaning the building adds to the historic integrity of the district, it is eligible for tax credits.  Luckily, the State of Missouri has a state tax credit that can be used in combination with the federal tax credit.  Combined, the credits could potentially offset rehabilitation costs by 45%.  The State Historic Preservation Office, created by the National Preservation Act to monitor preservation activities at the state level, reviews and approves rehabilitation work for state tax credits.  Federal tax credits are limited to income-producing, depreciable property.  This would include commercial or residential rental property.  A personal residence would not qualify for the federal credit.  The state credit also applies to income-producing property.  Additionally, a personal residence can qualify for the state tax credit.

Since the inception of the federal tax credit in 1976 and the state tax credit in 1998, both incentives have encouraged economic growth in urban cores, residential neighborhoods and small towns across Missouri.  Tax credit projects in Springfield, Missouri during 2011 created $130 million in private investment for the community.  Over 74 communities across the state have benefited from the incentives.  Overwhelmingly, 73% of the total communities who have used tax credits were situated in rural areas in the state.  In the last 14 years, the Missouri Historic Tax Credit Program has created over 40,000 jobs in the state.  During the fiscal year 2011, $116,244,410.00 in tax credits were issued statewide!

Currently, Rolla only has four individual properties listed in the National Register  and zero historic districts.  If you believe Rolla should establish historic districts and benefit economically like the 74 other communities across the state from historic tax credits, contact your local council person.  Contact information for each council person can be found at the bottom of the post concerning Rayl Cafeteria.

Inez C. Parker: Rolla's Poet Laureate

By Ryan Reed 
 

Inez C. Parker circa 1902

Inez Corene Parker was an African-American writer from Rolla, Missouri whose verse was widely circulated at the turn of the twentieth century.  She was one of the first African-Americans to attempt to make a living from her literary work.  Parker’s poems gained national exposure and were widely circulated in journals and newspapers in Chicago, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, etc.  She traveled throughout the country giving recitals of her literature and gained several prominent admirers including Secretary of State John Hay. However, very little is known of this early African-American professional writer who lived her entire life in Rolla.

Life began for Inez Parker in a small frame house at the northeast corner of Fourth and Cedar Streets on January 4, 1876.    Both of Inez’s parents, John Parker and Sedonia Blackwell, were former slaves.  Her father was a native of Georgia who was working as a shoemaker in Texas County, Missouri prior to his marriage.  Sedonia, born in Missouri, was employed as a housekeeper in the home of attorney Edward A. Seay in 1870.  After their marriage in 1872, the small home where Inez was born was constructed for the Parkers.  After the birth of Inez, the Parker family continued to grow and included ten children.

As a child, Parker attended the segregated public schools in Rolla.  Afterward, having the advantages of some private instruction, she graduated from the high school in Rolla.  Her education also included instruction in music, French and Latin.  After completing her studies, she was employed to teach elocution and music by several members of the African-American community in Rolla.

Parker’s first professionally published poem was “Hope” which appeared in a Chicago literary journal circa 1898.  The publication of the poem was the result of a contest held by the journal.  Over forty individuals, all of whom were white, submitted entries.  After the publication of “Hope”, Parker was contacted by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and asked write verses for publication.  In 1899, five of Parker’s poems were published in the newspaper. 

During this time, the style of Parker’s poems began to change.  Much of her work was authored in conventional English, while some were rendered in an African-American dialect.  The latter structure was popularized by Paul Laurence Dunbar.  A contemporary of Parker’s, Dunbar was an African-American poet, novelist and playwright who achieved national fame.  The use of dialect popularized his writings so much that editors refused to print his more traditional poems and demanded he focus on dialect.  Dunbar came to believe that the marketability of dialect poems was demeaning and it inflicted irrevocable harm to the African-American community.  However, Dunbar didn’t consider his dialect poetry to be inferior to his Standard English writings.  Modern scholars of Dunbar’s writings have begun to discover the humanity of his dialect work.  Most of Parker’s published poems in 1899, such as “’Manicaption Day” and “When Daddy Plays de Banjo” were written in a dialect form.

Parker’s work gained popularity and her verses were widely circulated.  Her work appeared in The Broadax (Salt Lake City, Utah), The Vermont Phoenix (Brattleboro, Vermont), The New York Age (New York City), The Minneapolis Journal (Minneapolis, Minnesota) and many more.   The Commoner of Lincoln, Nebraska was so impressed with Parker’s work they gave her a year-long subscription in 1906. Due to her increased popularity, Parker was requested by various organizations to recite her poems and short stories.  She appeared before sold out audiences, black and white, in St. Louis between 1904 and 1907.

After 1910, mentions of Parker and her writings in national publication virtually vanish.  In 1910, she is listed in the federal census as living with her mother and earning money through elocution recitals. By 1920, she is still living with her mother at Fourth and Cedar Streets.  At the time, Harold Griggs was boarding with the Parkers.  Within a few years, Griggs and Parker were married.  Harold worked as a janitor and Inez is continually listed as doing “house work” after their marriage.  After the death of her mother in 1929, the Griggs continued to live at Forth and Cedar Street until the death of Inez on December 20, 1950.

Inez Parker briefly garnered national acclaim yet never attained distinction in the literary world.  She penned a large body work, written in standard English and African-American dialect, which has been largely forgotten.  However, the success of this Rolla native at a time when opportunities for African-Americans were extremely limited should not be forgotten.  Parker was one of the few African-American at the time that was able to make a living through her writing.  Parker was the precursor to a new generation of African-American writers, including Langston Hughes, who embraced vernacular speech of their time and place.  The contributions and influence of this local writer on the larger literary world should be remembered and cherished by the citizens of Rolla and beyond.

HOPE

The morn was dreary and gray with mist,

By faintest glimmer of gold unkissed;

But Hope looked forth with a vision bright,

And whispered low, with a smile of light:

“Oh heart, dear heart, be of good cheer;

The noon will be fairer-never fear!”

Wind-swept the noon came, wet with rain,

All sighs and shadows, all tears and pain;

But Hope looked forth with a steadfast eye,

And whispered low as the wind shrieked by:

“on, heart, faint heart, be of good cheer;

At eve ‘twill be fairer-never fear!”

The shrouded sun found a cloudy tomb,

And without a star came a night of gloom;

But Hope looked forth with a vision bright,

And whispered low, with a smile of light:

“Oh, heart, sad heart, be of good cheer;

The morn will be fairer-never fear!”