With no money available to make needed repairs, the 19th-century Union Hotel building in Jefferson City looks to remain closed for the foreseeable future, state officials said Friday.
More than a year ago, a structural inspection of the building determined there were significant problems.
The building is owned by the Missouri Office of Administration and managed in cooperation with the state Department of Natural Resources and Jefferson City.
The hotel, built in 1855, is part of the Jefferson Landing State Historic Site and housed the Elizabeth Rozier Gallery and the Amtrak station waiting room.
A structural engineer did a preliminary assessment of the building after it closed in October 2019, which indicated the hotel was not habitable.
Tiffany Patterson, director of the Missouri State Museum and Jefferson Landing State Historic Site, said they have been regularly monitoring the building's brick-and-mortar exterior, in particular a bulge in the north wall on the track side of the building, and have found there hasn't been any significant change. Because it's a historic building, she added, they continue to maintain heating and cooling inside.
Missouri State Parks leases the hotel property from OA and is responsible for maintaining the property.
As long as the hotel is closed, a temporary Amtrak station remains in place. A trailer is located in the visitor parking area of the state-owned parking lot 3, which is adjacent to the Lohman Building at Jefferson Landing State Historic Site. DNR donated the use of the trailer, and OA donated the use of the parking area.