Celebrating National Historic Districts & Places That Matter

The Alfred Harrison Rogers House

In 1878 Alfred Harrison Rogers graduated from Harvard with honors in philosophy.  He then studied law with Colonel E.L. Barlett in Wyandotte Kansas.  He was admitted to the bar in Olathe Kansas om 1889, but never practiced law as a profession.  He married Katherine Coburn in May of 1881, and had two children. In 1889, Mr. Rogers built the Southwest Missouri Electric Railway (also known as the Twin Cities Street Railway) a streetcar railway system between Webb City and Carterville.  The rail line was two and a half miles in length.  The rail cars were pulled by mules until it was converted to electric in 1896.  Mr. Rogers convinced investors to bulild Lakeside Park in Carthage, of which his system was the only trolley that could take visitors to the Park. For several years hits trolley system was the largest inter-urban trolley system west of the Mississippi.   Lakeside Park soon became more and more a center for family and group entertainment, by later expanding and including baseball games, with stands furnished, charging 25 cents for the more comfortable shaded seats, however, the games were FREE, a dance pavilion with popular orchestras much of the time, roller rink, roller coaster said to be a duplicate of that at St Louis World’s Fair, a swinging bridge, boating and swimming. and other things to interest the public, even a hotel was built near by, all of which capturing the hearts of the public thus drawing more trolley traffic. With the advent of the automobile, it brought forth roads which cut into their trolley traffic. Starting early in the    twentieth century, the Mother Road of all roads, Route 66 was built near Lakeside Park.  This brought automobile and bus traffic far and near. Mr. Rogers was a publisher and president of the Joplin Globe Publishing Company, vice president of Interstate Grocer and director of National Bank.  In 1910, he purchased the   Joplin Globe. He was a faithful member of the Joplin Elks Club. A.H. Rogers house was built in 1900 for $20,000.

The Cadi Klein House

Cadi Klein immigrated from Krojanke, Germany in 1881 and found employment in a Cartage clothing store owned by his uncle, A. H. Goldstein.  After working for his uncle for eight years, Klein took over management of the Model Clothing Company in Joplin as Goldstein’s partner.  Eventually he purchased his uncle’s interest and became sole owner of the firm.  Known for more than his successful clothing store, Klein played a significant role in Joplin’s Jewish community.  He was instrumental in the organization of the United Hebrew Congregation, serving as Vice-President on the first board of officers in 1916, Klein and other members of the United Hebrew Congregation’s building committee retained architect Austin Allen to design the majestic and unique synagogue that still stands today at 702 South Sergeant.

Only a short distance from the synagogue he helped establish stands Klein’s home. It is an excellent example of Victorian architecture, built in the 1890’s the house features many unique and handsome architectural details, but the corner fireplace is especially appealing with its raised classic figure tiles.  The tile in the top corner is a portrait of Michelangelo.  This outstanding example is similar to one designed by Isaac Broome, prominent 19th century American ceramic sculpture

Clara Berlowitz Klein was also born in Germany.  As a member of the United Hebrew Congregation, Mrs. Klein was one of the presidents of its Ladies’ Aid Society and for many years taught Sunday school.

407-409 S. Main St., c. 1899 Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals ~ Two-Part Commercial Block

This gray brick, three-story building is an excellent example of the influence of Revivalism on commercial architecture. The building is four bays wide, defined by symmetrical upper-story fenestration. Decorative elements on the upper façade wall include pilasters with Doric capitals, arched windows with pressed brick lintels and exaggerated keystones, and a full-width pressed metal cornice featuring brackets, swags, and dentils. The first story has two separate storefronts within the historic cast iron framing system – a small storefront at the north end and the double width storefront at the south end. The south storefront retains the original deeply recessed entrance characterized by arched openings and multiple display windows. Despite the replacement of the upper-story windows and small north storefront, the building retains its character-defining high-style decorative elements, fenestration pattern, unique façade treatment, and the historic south storefront. This building retains sufficient architectural integrity to clearly convey its historic associations…

The Model Clothing Store Building. This building replaced two earlier, two-story buildings. It is a rare surviving example of the work of the Joplin architect, August Michaelis. The building’s earliest occupants were the Criterion  Saloon (north storefront) and Cadi Klein’s Model Clothing Store, an elite Joplin clothier. Both were long-lived commercial ventures that survived into the 1960s and 1970s. Over the years, the upper floors contained various occupants including a photography studio, and Michaelis’ architectural office. The existing south storefront and parapet wall date to post a c.1902 remodeling.

The Peter and Adaline Schnur House

Both Peter Schnur (1845-1906) and Adeline Coffeen Schnur (1846-1922) were known as
Joplin’s pioneer residents, having come to what was known as Murphysburg in 1872. Five
children were born in the family. While marching in a Knights Templar parade in
downtown Joplin, witnessed by 15,000 people, Peter became prostrated by the heat and
dropped out of the line, fell near his residence, and died a few hours after being taken to his
house. A feeling of gloom was cast over the city as the news of his sickness and death
passed rapidly from lip to lip. Adeline also died at the house 16 years later.

In March 1872, Peter established the Mining News, which was the first newspaper
published in the town. It later was known as the Evening News and then the News Herald.
The paper had a great influence on the early life of Joplin. According to the book, History of
Jasper County 1912, Peter was “…its editor and proprietor, was a good writer and in the
narrative of events as they happened from week to week, told the plain truth, avoiding the
sensational and printing only so much of the news of the under-strata of society as was
necessary to correctly chronicle the happenings of the day.” Editorially he advocated a
better local government and always was on the side of public improvement. After selling
his paper and printing establishment, he was appointed postmaster. Peter was also
engaged in mining.

ARCHITECTURE – The two-and-one-half-story Queen Anne house has a limestone
foundation and a gable-on-hip roof with lower cross-gables. Gabled wings project from the
north, east and south elevations. Hipped and shed roof wings project from the rear (west)
elevation. A full-width hip roof porch spans the primary (east) elevation. It has cast stone
piers with tapered square wood columns and a wood picket railing. This elevation has
three bays. Bay 1 has a single window on each story. Bay 2 has a historic wood panel door
with glazing and a wood panel transom on the first story and a single window on the
second story. The recessed Bay 3 has a single window on each story. A historic fixed, four-
light window pierces the gable end.

The Gustave A. Kleinkauf House

This house is named for Gustave Adam “Gus” Kleinkauf (1871-1959) and his wife Alice May Collier Kleinkauf (1871-1948). Gus was born in Pennsylvania to German parents. Gus was a druggist
and worked for the American Pharmaceutical Co. in Joplin. He was one of eight children and his mother was adamant that they receive an education. Two of Gus’s brothers also became pharmacists.
After living in Texas, by 1921 the family had moved to California where he owned and operated the Crescent Drug Co. The couple died in Long Beach, California.


Architecture
Shed wings project from the north and south elevations. A full-width
hip roof porch spans the primary elevation. It has brick piers with square
wood columns and a staggered brick kneewall. A single, historic fixed
wood window flanks each side of the entrance. Three

In 2012, a fire destroyed The William and Nelle Riseling House located between 523 and 507 S. Sergeant. On his way to work, a neighbor saw the smoke coming from the house and banged on the front door, alerting the two residents and helping them get out.  No one was injured.  The vacant lot was then purchased by the adjoining property owners.  Mr. Riseling was a zinc mine superintendent. 

The Adam Scott House

Adam S. Scott (1851-1937) married Dora A. Hoop Scott (1859-1940) in Ohio before
coming to Joplin in 1896 or 1898. The couple had five children. Adam was active in
politics, was the mayor of Wellston, Ohio, and a personal friend and supporter of President
William McKinley. He was also one of the founders of the Chillicothe, Hamilton, Dayton
Railroad in Ohio. Once in Joplin, Adam was extensively engaged in mining lead and zinc
and at one point was the Superintendent of the Tennessee Mining Company.

Dora was a schoolteacher before her marriage. She was a member of the Daughters of the
American Revolution, Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, National Congress of
Mothers which later became the National Congress of Parents and Teachers (now the
National PTA), the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (a liquor prohibition
organization) and many more religious and social organizations.

ARCHITECTURE – According to folklore, this house was designed by Austin Allen. The house is an example of the Free Classic subtype of the Queen Anne
style. The house has bay windows, hipped dormers, and two brick chimneys that rise from
the roof ridge. Fluted pilasters articulate each corner of the house. Scrolled brackets and
dentil molding ornament the roofline.
A sleeping porch, with the same fluted pilasters, dentil molding and brackets, projects from
the second story. On the second story, bay 2 has a historic stained-glass window.
On the first story, bay 1 has a historic tripartite wood window with leaded glass in the
upper sash, flanked by narrow one-over-one double-hung wood windows. Bay 2 has a
historic wood panel door with oval glazing. Bay 3 has a historic eight-over-one single-hung
wood Craftsman window.
The side-wrap porch and sleeping porch are historic alterations but do not compromise the
integrity of the house.
710 W. 2 nd Street – The brick building behind the Queen Anne house served as a doctor’s
office and women’s clinic—referred to as soiled doves in that era.