Historical Society seeks more space

By Marty Swant

Published Feb. 1, 2008

Some of Missouri’s historical treasures are at risk as State Historical Society struggles to cope with limited space, according to society officials.

They said the organization, located on the east end of Ellis Library, has outgrown its current facility.

Associate Director Lynn Gentzler said scholars, history enthusiasts and students use the artifacts.

“We try to be a public resource for all levels,” she said.

Gentzler said additional room is needed to accommodate patrons as they arrive to view pieces for leisure or for research.

The main hallway was turned into an art gallery, with photos on one wall and paintings on the other to provide another opportunity to view a few of the society’s thousands of art pieces. Art curator Joan Stack said ultraviolet light leaking in from the outdoors and florescent light bulbs might damage the images after several years.

Paintings by artists including Thomas Hart Benton and George Caleb Bingham are on display, but not nearly as many as Stack would like to see shown, she said. The society owns about 4,000 paintings, 8,000 political cartoons and 100,000 historical photographs, but most of the collection is held in small storage areas.

She said that because storage is within the same building as the rest of the society, the specific temperature and humidity settings have been difficult to regulate. The humidity in the painting storage room in the wintertime is at 35 percent, but ideally would be at 50 percent, she said.

Not only is the historical society’s space too small, but the aging building has become a hazard to the items spread throughout 33,000 square feet, said David Moore, the collection’s associate director. The Western Historical Manuscript Collection, also located at the society’s facility, is threatened by steam pipes above many of the cardboard boxes on the floor of the stacks in the library basement, Moore said.

“It’s an accident waiting to happen,” he said.

The 17,000 linear feet of letters, political papers and family documents dating back to the Civil War cover more room than the building has to offer. If a pipe were to break, Moore said, the documents could be damaged or destroyed.

Gentzler said the society hopes to move to a building three times the size of the location and create an area of usable space of 122,000 square feet, Gentzler said. The facility would be 173,000 total.

The decision to build a new facility depends on whether the Missouri legislature approves additional funding. Even with funding, the society would need to raise money on its own as well, Gentzler said.

Additions would allow for larger newspaper libraries, Gentzler said, along with a conservation lab, additional reading room for visitors and an art exhibition area of 7,000 feet. This is compared to the 3,500 feet currently allowed.

The plans are still in the idea phase, Gentzler said, and the society hasn’t developed any definite plans.

She said a study conducted by the city of Columbia, MU and Stephens College suggested a new building across from Peace Park between Sixth and Seventh streets.