Olivia

HISTORIC MURPHYSBURG PRESERVATION, INC. (HMP)

January 8, 2024 // by admin

2023 ACCOMPLISHMENTS & ACTIVITIES

JANUARY : For an understanding of the future, look to the past

Continued the distribution of the coloring book, Coloring JOMO: Women Who Made Their Mark, walking tour brochures, and hand illustrated maps. Continued research on original and or significant owners of Murphysburg houses. Received Visit Joplin (formerly known as Joplin Convention & Visitors Bureau) grant funding for HMP website updates.

MARCH: Bring to light often overlooked history

HMP promoted Women’s History Month by featuring two (unrelated) women that lived at 101 N. Sergeant in the early 1940s to late 1950s. Mary Kirk Kelly, as a professor at Joplin Junior College, started Model United Nations for students. They would travel to regional and national simulations which continues today; after retirement she became an internationally known ceramic artist. Dora Kneeland invented what came to be known as Williams Chili Seasoning and her son-in-law produced it in the garage before moving the operation to Webb City

APRIL: We envisioned new projects

Completed research on the Pearl Brothers House (101 S. Moffet) and requested a local historic marker sign. Continued advocacy for the rehabilitation or abatement of apartments at 117-121 S. Byers (built in May 1950) through direct conversations with Tyler Casey with ProX Management and City officials. Represented HMP at the Spring meeting of Missouri Route 66 Association and the Visit Joplin Tourism Connection regional meeting.

MAY: Bring awareness to underrepresented communities

Partnered with Downtown Joplin Alliance’s Loft Tour. Presentation to City Council asking for historic street name signs. Provided Mt. Hope Cemetery with QR codes for 50 original Murphysburg residents interred at the cemetery. Staffed a booth at DJA’s Third Thursday.

JUNE: The impact you helped make possible

Represented HMP at the annual Missouri Preservation Conference held in Joplin.

JULY: We advocated for

Partnered with the Scottish Rite Cathedral to commemorate the 100^th Anniversary of the building.

AUGUST : Promote heritage tourism

Facilitated a feature story & photographs of Murphysburg walking tour in the 417 Magazine.

OCTOBER: Benefitting from new energy

Hosted the annual membership appreciation meeting at the Cornell Complex with guest speaker Neely Meyers, Science Center Creative Learning Alliance director.

NOVEMBER: Home for the holidays…in Murphysburg

Installed Christmas Wreaths on Murphysburg District utility poles. Monitored HMP’s “Giving Tuesday” donation website. Guest appearance on MSSU TV Newsmaker show.

DECEMBER: Overlooked history

Conducted the Austin Allen, the Architect — Remembered historic building tour and lecture which was co-sponsored by Visit Joplin and Joplin Celebrations Commission . Received a Visit Joplin grant to pay for production of a booklet featuring Murphysburg District houses. Continued dialogue with City officials to save 130 S. Moffet, the Albert Newman House from demolition.

ONGOING

Manage Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Mail Chimp, HMP website, liability insurance, storage unit, and more.
Manage communications, inquiries about houses for sale, Joplin history & media inquiries.
Conduct historical research using Ancestry.com, Find-a-Grave, Newspapers.com, etc.
Interface with North Heights Neighborhood Group, Downtown Joplin Alliance, City of Joplin, Joplin Historical Neighborhoods, Inc., Connect 2 Culture, Bluehaven Homes & Bykota, REI (the Olivia Apartments) and many other community organizations/projects.
Welcomed new Murphysburg homeowners with historical documentation on their house and general HMP membership information.

SOUTHWEST MISSOURI RAILROAD CLUBHOUSE

November 12, 2023 // by admin

In 1889, Alfred Harrison “A.H.” Rogers (1858-1920) started a railway system between Webb City and Carterville pulled by mules. After 1893, the system was electrified. It continued until late summer of 1935 for Carthage, and 1940 for other communities. The clubhouse was constructed for officials and employees.

The A.H. Rogers House is in the Murphysburg Historic District at 623 W. Fourth Street and is currently being restored by Joplin Historical Neighborhoods, Inc.

Charlie22 Outdoor’s mission is to provide outdoor activities to the nation’s veterans and their families. For more information, contact Scotty Rae Hettinger at (417) 437-7247 or charlie22outdoors.com.

Following are excerpts from the Joplin History & Mineral Museum calendar published in 2021: Originally, the first floor was divided into a pool room, a gymnasium that was also used for large social groups, a locker room, a dressing room, toilets, and shower baths. The second floor housed the clubrooms, complete with a kitchen and dining area. The clubrooms were used for reading, writing, card playing, social entertainments, banquets, and to conduct business meetings. The third floor consisted of two dormitories, where a bed could be rented by the day or week. The facility was possibly best remembered for the elaborate employee banquets.

The Arthur Waite House

June 13, 2022 // by admin

Waite arrived in Joplin in 1880 at the age of 27. He grew up splitting rails in Nebraska and at the age of 21, applied and received a job at the country bank in Brownville, Nebraska. Thus began a lifetime career in the banking industry. Eventually he rode a “hog train” to St. Joseph, Missouri, and worked as a book keeper at the Merchant State Bank for Thomas Tootle. Tootle, meanwhile, was a partner of Joplin founding father, Patrick Murphy, in the ownership of the Miner’s Bank. It was a job at Miner’s Bank, located in the same building as the old Joplin Hotel, that brought Waite to Joplin.

Later on, Waite took a job as cashier at the Joplin National Bank, which for a time was located in the Keystone Hotel building. Eventually, Waite rose to the position of president of the bank. Established as a major figure in the Joplin banking community, he was the president of the Joplin National Bank and Trust Company, the Missouri Bankers Association, Jasper County Bankers’ Association and was a member of the Elks Lodge in Joplin.

Waite remained involved in banking and in the house that Garstang & Rea designed until his death in April, 1934.

Susie Chase Leonard Waite worked on the Y.W.C.A. board for many years, was a member of the Woman’s Club, Ridpath Club, Curtis Club, and Buddy Club. At the time of her death in 1956, she was a member of the Health and Welfare board, on which she had served since its establishment in the early 1900s. After Mr. Waite’s death in 1934, Mrs. Waite moved to the Olivia Apartments where she lived until the time of her death.

Credits to Historicjoplin.com

The Fletcher Snapp House

June 13, 2022 // by admin

Fletcher Taylor Snapp was a member of Joplin High School’s first graduating class of 1887, the first president of the Joplin Automobile Club, Joplin’s mayor from 1922-1926, one of the founders of the Citizens State Bank, a cashier of Cunningham Bank and building chairman during the long process of constructing the Scottish Rite Cathedral at 505 S. Byers Avenue.This house has suffered several devastating fires. The first of which claimed Mr. Snapp’s life when he was 79 years old and that of a handyman. The tragedy occurred when the oil furnace exploded while being repaired. His wife Elizabeth Belle (Betty) Mayes Snapp survived. This brown brick clad house has a porte cochére that provides covered access for visitors arriving by motorized transport—or back in the day for the horse and carriage. The portico, consisting of Ionic columns and a triangular pediment, beckons visitors to enter this stately home. The wrap-around covered porch with its turned balustrades serves as the venue for outdoor gatherings. The main entry door has cut glass sidelights with transoms. Furthermore, the beautiful historic wooden door is enhanced with a decorative oval arched transom. Each story has a curved bay window and all windows have limestone lintels.

The Olivia Hotel and Apartments

May 17, 2022 // by admin

Austin Allen, Architect
Dieter Wetzel, Builder
Listed on the National Register in 2008

The Olivia had a well-deserved reputation as the “handsomest apartment house in the West.” Arthur Bendelari, a civil and mining engineer from Canada, moved to Joplin during the mining boom. He commissioned architect Austin Allen and the contracting firm Dieter and Wenzel to construct this 5-story, $150,000 masterpiece. Construction began February of 1906, and it was open in October that same year.

Arthur Bendelari had a reputation for being a well-liked charmer. He owned one of the town’s first automobiles, and he would race anyone anytime, especially if it involved wagering. He named the Olivia after his mother, Mary Olivia Bendelari.

Decorated in “Pompeian fashion,” the public spaces of the Olivia sparkled with solid Italian marble. The lobby decor impressed all who crossed the threshold where mosaic tiles spelled out “Olivia.” Passing through the elaborate rotunda, visitors entered the reception room, finished in old ivory and lit by skylights and a large leaded glass window with the name “Olivia” expertly crafted in multi-colored glass. A highly polished oak staircase spiraled up from the lobby, connecting all five floors. Electric elevators, both passenger and freight, also provided easy access to all parts of the building. A uniformed attendant provided 24-hour elevator service.

The red brick Olivia comprised 34 one and two-bedroom apartments, for a total of 110 rooms. Some of the larger apartments had almost 2,000 square feet of living space. All of them featured built-ins, fireplaces, marble bathrooms with claw-foot tubs, and every labor-saving device known at the time. Tenants enjoyed bright airy rooms with French doors opening onto private balconies. A roof garden overlooked the city, affording spectacular views in all directions. On clear days, one could even see Webb City. Trolley lines ran down 4th Street, right next to the building, taking residents wherever they wanted to go.

The Olivia’s Current Situation:

After many false starts and a tragic fire in December 2020, this Murphysburg landmark is being
restored by Blue Haven Homes and Bykota REI, along with Neal Group Construction &
Restoration.

Preservation Efforts & Updates:

HMP partnered with stakeholders including the City of Joplin and the current owner to find ways to stabilize the structure.
Downtown Joplin Alliance uses grant funds to conduct a professional assessment on December 11. Fire damage was limited in scope to the roof structure and the first-floor area below the lower roof. The decorative domed ceiling in the lobby has collapsed onto the floor, which has also partially collapsed. However, the exterior masonry and all floor structure areas are in sound condition and the building can still be rehabilitated.
October 29, 2020: The Olivia is named one of Missouri’s “Places in Peril”
December 7, 2020: The Olivia Apartments suffer fire damage (view drone footage of fire damage)
December 17, 2020: Bywater Development’s application for tax credits to help pay for the renovation is denied by the Missouri Housing Development Commission
Bywater Development withdraws from the offer to purchase The Olivia from Scott Tillman with Tillman Redevelopment of Springfield
Fall 2021: New developers are making … progress to bring The Olivia back to her grandeur
Good News Update February 12, 2021: City officials propose investment in Olivia building: Council to consider $250,000 agreement