Jefferson City is filled with historic buildings, and many old buildings that may or may not be historic. How can you tell the difference?
One thing for sure, you cannot tell the difference by just looking at them. Some are obvious choices in that they have unique architectural features or are among the last remaining buildings from a bygone era. Did Washington or Lincoln sleep there? If so, no question, that's historic. But very few historic buildings can be so readily identified and widely recognized as such. You want to know what really makes them historic? It's the people who lived, worked or spent time there, and the experiences they had.
Take the old county jail and sheriff's residence. The residence was home to some of Cole County's most illustrious county officials. Legendary sheriffs like Carl "Buck" Walz, who was elected in 1936. He and his wife raised six children and were the first to live in that old building that Mr. Ellinger wants to tear down. At one point, there were eight inmates, including three women and five men in the "household." And Mrs. Walz did the cooking for them!
Sheriff Walz was not only the chief lawman in Cole County, but he was a key political figure in the state of Missouri. In those days when Democrats and patronage ruled, Sheriff Walz also was the "go to" guy if you wanted a job in state government. Known as the "Governor of the Capitol Basement," even as he served as sheriff, he also had a small office in the lower level of the Capitol Building and if you wanted a job, you had to get his blessing first.
Does the sheriff's residence deserve to be called historic because Sheriff Walz lived there? I think it does.
Sheriff Horace Debo, the last to live there, was another legendary lawman. He was the sheriff who started the Sheriff's Auxiliary, a group of volunteers who saved the county millions of dollars over the years chasing state prison escapees and bank robbers in and around Cole County. Men like Bob George, who was nearly killed in the line of duty volunteering his service to the county. This illustrious group used to have its monthly meetings on the third floor of the old jail that they want to tear down. Does that add to its historic significance? I think so.
Beloved Sheriff Wyman Basinger, who wore the sheriff's badge for 16 years and died in 1986 in the line of duty, spent countless hours at work in these buildings. These buildings are all the more historic because of him.
And as for the old jail, did you know that country singer Johnny Paycheck was among the inmates who did time there? At the height of his fame, he came to do a free concert at the old MSP. When the concert concluded, he was promptly taken into custody by Cole County deputies on an outstanding warrant from another state. He was respectfully finger-printed, photographed and held at the Cole County jail. Does that make the building historic? I think it does, and even more so when you learn about the hundreds of other bank robbers, gangsters and MSP bad boys who had to cool their heels in that old county jail.
History was made by these people and so many more, but if you need more objective criteria, consider this: Built in 1936, these buildings are 78 years old. To be on the National Register of Historic Places, or to be a Jefferson City Landmark, a building must be at least 50 years old. These buildings are both on the National Register and are officially designated City Landmarks. Government certified, if you will, but apparently not by Cole County government.
These are not just "old buildings." These are historic structures that should be protected and preserved - or at least adaptively reused. To do otherwise would be to disrespect the men and women who served in those buildings, and to ignore the obvious historical significance which they represent.
Read the opposing viewpoint:
Point: Old, historic are not synonymous; community must look to future