A Quick Look at downtown Joplin, MO
This past Saturday a friend and I ventured West on I-44 over to Joplin to check out their downtown. I had driven through a decade or so ago but I couldn’t remember anything about it. Seeing it again it is no wonder I forgot it.
Above is pretty much it. The building on the left is quite handsome. Sadly they’ve likely razed much of their old building stock leaving too few buildings to give the feeling you are in a historic downtown. According to wiki, “in the sixties and seventies nearly 40 acres (160,000 m²) of the city’s downtown were razed in the name of urban renewal.” It shows.
Main Street is basically it these days. However, being a one-way Northbound street it feels more like a highway than a local street. On-street parking, however, helps offset this feeling. Changing Main and the street to the West to two-way traffic would be a huge improvement.
Main street has recently gotten a face lift with new curbs, sidewalks and such. They did the typical brick in the furnishing zone that seems to be all the rage these days. They also overlooked bike parking as an important function in an active downtown. By not having street signs or parking meters the cyclist has too few choices on where to secure a bicycle. New sidewalks alone will not revitalize a downtown, encouraging cyclists to bike to the area and hang out on sidewalk cafes will.
Of course downtown Joplin would not be complete without the horrible newer bank building. Rather than a pedestrian entrance at the corner we have a retaining wall. From this view it looks like a pedestrian would need to enter via the auto drive off the side street. Of course there was nothing going on so nobody was out walking.
The few traces that remain of the old downtown are quite nice — too bad they fell for the “renewal” madness of the past.
nice brutalist buttresses on that craphole of a bank. I’m wondering if that is actually worse than the tragedy that befell the modernist bank at the northeast corner of Hanley and Forsyth.
The bank rather reminds me of the top of the Pet Building in downtown, now apartments on the way to becoming condos. I think the key to places like Joplin is creating places for people to live, sort of like the loft district in St Louis. Maybe instead of building offices (the usual downtown solution–more jobs!), communities should support more conversions of empty offices into housing. Then I bet the jobs would follow. After all, that’s the suburban model, right? Places like Tyson’s Corner and Mclean, VA were really just little suburbs until people realized that there was space for offices and business there–but after people had moved there first. The usual paradigm may be backwards.
I guess the “news” is that there really isn’t any, just more of the same . . . one observation, however – “The few traces that remain of the old downtown are quite nice” simply because of supply and demand, combined with changing tastes. I wouldn’t be surprised if 20 years ago (in the ’80’s) that the downtown’s old buildings were less appreciated (and in worse shape) than they are now, much like 98% of the other small cities and towns in the country. And as your third photo shows, and as your narrative indicates, there’s still plenty of space available (and not much real activity), still, in what’s left . . .
I was in Joplin several years ago. City Hall has its very own Thomas Hart Benton Mural which is nice but much smaller than the ones in the capitol or Truman Library. I think I recall that Joplin once had a thriving mining industry which is pretty much gone. Most of the retail activity has been sucked out to the I-44 corridor.
There are some residential conversions in downtown Joplin, and a small upturn in National Register of Historic Places nominations that are the smoke signals for tax-credit projects. Already there is a small downtown grocer and deli a lot like St. Louis’ City Grocers. There seems to be recognition by political leaders that, at least because of the rehab tax credits, the remaining downtown buildings are worth saving and rehabbing. Doesn’t hurt that Joplin is close to Springfield, which has seen a large amount of downtown historic rehabilitation projects in the last five years.
In Columbia, Missouri they added these ugly, shade producing things to the front of historic buildings downtown. They are hideous and hide the buildings! Whoever came up with this idea obviously did so to give people some break from the summer heat. The ironic thing is, Columbia is well known for having a very high quality of life! Maybe someday those things on the front of the historic buildings will be considered historic? Even if they’re always ugly?
hey northside, those canopies are gone now. I grew up in Columbia, and remember them well. There was a hi-fi store (D&M Sound) on the corner of 9th and Broadway that burned in the early 1980s, but the canopy remained and there was always this humorous canopy extension at the edge of (what else!) the surface parking lot that marked the grave of D&M Sound.
I’m from Joplin but live in St. Louis now. Quick correction: Main Street is four lanes with traffic moving in both directions –it is not a one way. To the west is Joplin Street which runs one way southbound, and one block further is Wall Avenue which runs one way in a northbound direction.
Your assessment of downtown is correct . . . . Joplin unfortunately experienced a disproportionate amount of the urban renewal craze in the 70’s, culminating with the collapse of the Connor Hotel in which three men were killed. Sadly, a few notable buildings have been lost in the last few years, too. However, upon recent trips home I have noticed a significant upturn in rehabbing and new restaurants, lofts, and stores opening. Unfortunately it would take an awful lot of infill to really bring the downtown area back to true vibrancy. Also, don’t know if you got a chance to check it out, but the abandoned Joplin Union Depot is a tremendous piece of architecture.
I’m a planner for Joplin working on the downtown project. It’s refreshing to read some of your comments. People look at me like I’m crazy when I talk about reducing capacity (4 to 2 lanes on Main) to be more ped friendly, needing bike racks, creating a better sense of place, and crazy stuff like that. We are starting to scratch the surface of what we can do with what’s left. The new cookie-cutter streetscape design is a lot better than what we had before, but we haven’t quite figured out what urban form and function are yet. We are actually building quite a few lofts, low and high income, with tax credit projects here. There IS a lot of potential too, with all the holes (parking lots), if someone wants to come down and do a large scale infill project. Thanks, for noticing us down here!
As a resident of Joplin, and having grown up in the area, I think I have a good “feel” of the place. And of what they are “trying” to do on Main Street and it’s surrounding areas. First, I give Joplin props: Joplin wants to be big, at least in respects of bringing revenue into it’s area via “tourism”, if you will, and “the atmosphere”. However, that atmosphere, unfortunately, is not an urban one. It is an old fashioned, traditional, old school approach, headed by old fashioned, traditional, old school master minds.
It is my feeling that Joplin wants to be big, wants to make revenue by means of actual attractions other than the infamous Boomtown Days or something that Missouri Southern hosts, and really really wants to have a true “downtown”. However, in my opinion, it is going to take a lot more for Joplin to capture this true essence than a down home big green trolley (from 1920?) that looks like an antique, which isn’t of course, that travels only one way, at the moment, and only goes through that “historic” route that Joplin holds so dear to. It is going to take a lot more than recreating street lamps, street posts and benches that all replecate a time that has long since passed.
History is nice.
But. By my understanding, Joplin wants to have the revenue of a real city, rather than a historical stop “along the way”. In order to be more than just a stop along the way, Joplin needs to actually get over this “revival” idea and actually start creating a city. Not a nastaligic little re-capture of a past that has clearly changed.
I would love to see Joplin try to create what Joplin is in 2008 – not what is used to be in 1930, 1940, 1950 – shall I go on? It is 2008. Why try to be something it’s not? Joplin is not what is was then. Ideals have changed. Lifestyles have changed. The world has changed. Even since 1980. Times are a changin’, pepes. [giggle]
Finding out what Joplin truly is, in 2008, is the key here. Becoming, rather than trying to be, is the key. Expanding, rather than confining is the key here. Exploring new rather than digging up old is the key here.
The key here is to not try to be, but to just be.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
But. What do I know. I’m just a young ole whooper snapper with half cocked ideas on the way things “awrt” to be done round here.
[sigh]
I have read several of the comments. It does take a lot of investment financially and mentally to revitalize a forgotten downtown. Rome was not built over night. The people that have the spirt and resources to build this dream will offer others, the chance to enjoy and appreciate the fruits of our labor.
I have seen several revitalization projects that have failed, but I will stake a bet, that when you come back in ten years, you will see a wonderful area to live and shop. So, don’t wait to invest, because the avaliabilty and opportunity will pass you by, and you will be left scratching your head and wondering why, YOU didn’t get involved.
To The Girl that made the comment, that she doesn’t feel the HIp HOP in the atmosphere, but the old fashion, old school, same old same old. The urban feeling and living experience will be here, wine, coffee, cafes and resturants will be wired to the hilt and people will be telling all their friends in KC, St. Louis and Chicago to visit.
We don’t expect Joplin to be a “toursim trap” we expect Joplin to be a good place to live and love.
Hey, all you guys expressing opinions based upon memory, come visit. For instance, the Benton mural in city hall shouldn’t be considered small. And most would agree that downtown revitalization and nostalgia go hand in hand. You want 2008…go to the mall.
Well , the view of the passage is totally correct ,your details is really reasonable and you guy give us valuable informative post, I totally agree the standpoint of upstairs. I often surfing on this forum when I m free and I find there are so much good information we can learn in this forum! http://spoon8.net/
Well , the view of the passage is totally correct ,your details is really reasonable and you guy give us valuable informative post, I totally agree the standpoint of upstairs. I often surfing on this forum when I m free and I find there are so much good ugg boots information we can learn in this forum!