State Historical Society finds new home

The society sought out a new location due to lack of space.

By Catherine Rolfe

Published March 31, 2009

University and city officials announced Monday the State Historical Society of Missouri will move from Ellis Library to the parking lot of the Heinkel Building on Locust Street.

This half-block space is surrounded by Locust Street to the north, Sixth Street to the west, Elm Street to the south and Seventh Street to the east.

City officials made the announcement at a public dinner before a ceremony for new Columbia Police Department Chief Kenneth Burton.

The State Historical Society has been looking for a new home since 2006, due to the lack of space in its location in the basement of Ellis Library.

Mayor Darwin Hindman said the society is beneficial to the city.

"It's good for everyone in the state," Hindman said. "Students, faculty, members of the public who want to do research benefit from the synergies between the society and MU."

Hindman said the move would create jobs and would be a good use of federal stimulus funds.

City Manager Bill Watkins said in a news release he was looking forward to working on the move.

"This truly generous offer from the university will let the Historical Society go forward with an adjusted plan," Watkins said. "I am excited about this project."

City Council members working on the project had previously considered moving the Historical Society to the block immediately west of the location, which houses Bengal's Bar and Grill, U.S. Cleaners, a house owned by Fifth Street Investments and a university-owned parking lot.

When the Historical Society was interested in this property, it was involved in negotiations with the owners of Bengal's and U.S. Cleaners. The council had discussed the use of eminent domain to acquire the property if talks between the owners and the Historical Society did not produce a deal.

But invoking eminent domain became irrelevant when the Historical Society announced Saturday that it had found another location.

Chancellor Brady Deaton said in a news release the university is happy to keep the Historical Society in Columbia, previously proposed Jefferson City.

"We strongly believe that the State Historical Society is an enormous asset for Columbia and the university," Deaton said. "We have been working for some time with the city to leverage our mutual resources into a new model for town/gown relationships and to identify short-term and long-term opportunities that would benefit our long-standing partnership. Working together to make a site available to the society for a facility that will adequately serve its needs benefits all involved."

The Historical Society said its location in Ellis Library is not only too small, but also too old to adequately support their interests. Issues such as security, environmental controls and older patrons' ability to access the facility all prompted the Historical Society to then begin a search for a newer, larger home.

In the release, Watkins said why the Historical Society wanted to change locations.

"The society had seriously considered the block immediately to the west of this alternative site because, once the existing property was acquired, there would be enough space to build the type of facility it visualized," Watkins said.