Happy 100th Birthday to Old City Hall

Thanks, PrudentPreservation, for seeing the forest for the trees. Did anyone realize that this year is the 100^th anniversary of the opening of this circa 1910 City Hall Building? Many communities would celebrate such an anniversary. This event will obviously pass without fanfare here in Independence. I ran across the above post card image back in the day when citizens were pretty proud of their public buildings. It certainly doesn’t look like that anymore, but it still has the potential to be a community asset. The condition of this property is more a community problem that a county government problem. If citizens do not care about historic buildings, then that apathy will be reflected in the government officials we elect and in the directions governments take. And these buildings become difficult to sell for private redevelopment since they are not eligible for State & Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credits or many grant programs (since they are not in a historic district). Will this property become yet another poorly maintained parking lot that is only used during a 4-day festival? Is anyone picking up on the reoccurring themes of these blog posts?

Local Governments “Trading Spaces”

On the corner of South Main Street and West Kansas Avenue is a pair of structures that represent historic landmarks of local governments. On Kansas Avenue is the 1827 Log Courthouse, the very first County building and could well be the oldest building in Jackson County. Next door facing Main Street is the oldest remaining City Hall structure for the City of Independence. Now here comes the irony. The City owns the old Log County Courthouse and the County owns the old City Hall, therefore we now have an episode of “Trading Spaces” in the works. So let’s all judge how well they have been doing on this visible street corner in Old Town Independence. The City has done a respectable job in maintaining the Log Courthouse as a tourist site, considering it is 183 years old, not to mention it is constructed of vulnerable materials, i.e., unpainted wood logs. The old City Hall is almost half that age constructed of a durable brick and stone and it is in deplorable condition. You can see why the county has allowed the vegetation to be overgrown (see above photo). Just standing on the front porch appears to be dangerous with pieces of the ceiling sagging from above or laying on the porch floor. Someone has put a roadway barrier on the porch to apparently inhibit human occupation. Four AC condensing units are missing in the back with service lines to those units dangling as if it were the handiwork of a thief. Some of the stone and brick are cracked. Now we all understand the financial constraints of local governments, and yes, we all appreciate Jackson County’s award-winning efforts in restoring the exterior façade and landscape of the Courthouse on The Square. But there are other line items on the budget report that also need attention. A complete restoration of the old City Hall would be wonderful but most citizens would settle for just a little preventative maintenance, a good cleaning, and some vegetation trimming/removal. This summer is political campaign season for county government positions. This would be a great opportunity to ask the candidates, especially the incumbents, to address these critical issues of deferred maintenance of county-owned properties, especially for highly visible historic properties in tourist areas, and yes, above all, in the hometown of the most notable county politician, former Presiding County Judge Harry Truman. A funny thing about democracies, the voters always get the government they deserve.

Christian & Family Values Restored

Historic church architecture and steeples that dominate the landscape in Old Town Independence are tremendous and represent the foundation of our community. Many of the earliest settlers came here not for fortune and fame but to make sure the new territory was founded on Christian values. This great Christian heritage is something we should all be proud of and it should be celebrated more often here in Independence. The visible evidence of this important heritage is in our historic church architecture and sanctuaries. These structures were built not just to provide shelter for gatherings but to give glory to God through its architecture, scale, and symbolism. Materials chosen such as brick and stone were intended to endure through the centuries. Community hearts and souls went into the construction of these sacred places that witnessed baptisms, confirmations, weddings, and funerals for generations of community people, thus, making these places important not only for church history but for the multitudes of family histories. Two historic churches are contributing components of the Harry Truman National Historic Landmark District which give them even more value to the community and to the nation. One of those, the First Presbyterian Church, is where young Harry Truman and Bess Wallace attended Sunday School. The other, First Baptist Church, represents the most prominent historic church within the view shed of the Truman Home National Historic Site. Many other historic church structures are also important to the community and help communicate the complete story of our town. This architecture is “real” and represents classic and original styles as opposed to much of today’s architecture which focuses on simulated veneers and plagiarized facades. But more importantly, it represents our collective histories; the histories of our families, our neighborhood, our town, our nation, and our covenant with God. When these pieces of our history disappear, the value of our historic community is diminished and our spiritual heritage is sacrificed. And, since historic preservation is an educational tool, a dimension is lost for spreading the Christian message to future generations. Yes, we have a lot to learn from the strong Christian and family values of our forefathers, for Christ’s sake.