Demolition of Jefferson Street building halted, Truman Hotel on track to be demolished

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Safety concerns have caused the owners of a few buildings around Jefferson City to seek demolition.

Built in 1887, 626 Jefferson Street served as a range of businesses, but has been empty since April 2021. Due to the building's age, the property's owner Prairie Farms applied for a demolition request on Oct. 9. In its permit, the company said that the building's roof, foundation, and water damage was beyond repair.

During Tuesday's Historic Preservation Commission meeting, it was announced that Prairie Farms' demolition permit was denied, with the company having a 30-day window to appeal the decision.

This historical background of the building pushed the nonprofit Historic City of Jefferson and the district's councilman, Ward 2 Councilman Aaron Mealy to rally against the permit request.

"This building has historical significance to the area as well as being a valuable part of the streetscape," Mealy said in an email. "Please join us to prevent another significant Southside building from being destroyed!"

While the ball is in Prairie Farms' court, the Historic City of Jefferson is hoping to gain further community support in renovating the building.

"People are intrigued by the City of Jefferson due to its historic nature and its identity. And if we continue to not preserve our buildings and tear down the buildings, then we lose that identity to city," The Historic City of Jefferson President Stacy Landwehr said.

While some are supportive of a renovations, others are unsure.

Lizzie Harlan, owner of nearby J Street Vintage and preservation supporter, is staying neutral; noting that the building is beautiful, but too far gone to repair and taking up space in the business area.

"The more businesses, the more people, the more foot traffic, the more the vibe is hustling and bustling is better for us. So, I would like to see more businesses right here in this little block," Harlan said.

Harlan adds that she wishes the city took a more "proactive" approach to preservation, as many historical buildings don't get inspected until it's too late. She believes buildings in disrepair should be given a chance for renovation, rather than automatically being condemned to demolition.

"We need to look at the big picture and be more proactive of the buildings before they're ready to be tore down, line up buyers or line up nonprofits that want to come in and help fix them," Harlan said.

Another building possibly set for demolition is 206-210 E High Street. Formerly a JC Penny, the building is now empty with the back of the property falling apart.

Being built in the late 1800s, 206-210 E High Street was declared dangerous by the city in September 2023 with plans for demolition due to the unsafe status of the property.

Prior to this decision, owners of the building applied and were selected to be recipients of the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant in fall 2022.

However, despite receiving notice to begin the renovation project, the city stopped receiving updates from the owners, pushing the city to settle on demolition.

According to Jefferson City's Housing and Property Inspection Manager Dave Helmick, the city will have third-party engineers going in to asses the building by the end of November.

Helmick cautions that he can't guarantee the building's historical façade will remain intact, but he believes it's likely, as most of the damage is limited to later additions at the back of the building that were not part of the original structure.

Helmick also adds that the owners of the building are able to take over up until demolition is approved and transfer the renovations to a private contractor.

"Up until the point that we start with a stabilization or a demolition, there's still hope that maybe they would do something or they could get it in the hands of somebody that would do something," Helmick said.

ABC 17 News reached out to Prairie Farms for comment.

Truman Hotel/Ramada Inn

The Historic Preservation Commission unanimously approved the application for demolition review of the Truman Hotel at 1510 Jefferson Street.

The building was built in 1964 and has been called an “eyesore” by former city officials.

The hotel has been vacant since 2015, according to the application, and was declared dangerous in 2020. The hotel was opened as a Ramada Inn.

Photos submitted in the application – which are dated from 2023 – appear to show hazardous conditions within the building, including mold, scrap, broken walls and debris.