Two of Jefferson City's historic factory buildings have been nominated for the National Register of Historic Places.
J.B. Bruns Shoe Co. and the Giesecke Shoe Factory have both been nominated for the register, which is administered by the National Park Service, an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior.
On Tuesday, the Jefferson City Historic Preservation Commission approved the nomination of both buildings, agreeing the properties have made significant contributions to the city's history.
The J.B. Bruns Shoe Co., at 627 E. McCarty St., has recently received new life and a new name. Now called "River Park," the building holds a variety of offices, retail shop Initially Yours and Big Whiskey's American Restaurant & Bar.
Built in 1905, the building was originally a shoe factory. During the Great Depression, the state of Missouri rented out part of the building, and a sewing operation was located in another portion.
The building was purchased by JCD Furniture in 1959. Before being purchase for renovation in 2018, the building had been vacant for about nine years.
Despite the recent renovation, the building still maintains a number of historic aspects including original brick facade, wood floors and beams, fire escapes, stairways and elevator, and the exterior is still recognizable as an old industrial building, according to the nomination form.
Some of the large wooden beams are thought to have been brought to Jefferson City after being part of buildings constructed for the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, although there is no documentation available to support this.
The National Park Service determined the building is eligible for a listing on the Register of Historic Places because it has a local historical significance and has retained enough historical integrity despite changes.
The Giesecke Shoe Factory, 1101 E. Capitol Ave., was also nominated for the register.
The building was constructed in 1905 and has gone by many names in the past, including the Friedman-Shelby Shoe Factory and several branch names under the International Shoe company. It served continually as a shoe factory until 1970, making it the longest running shoe factory in the city.
DeLong Properties purchased the building in 1970, and it was used for their metal fabrication business until 2009. After that, it was rented to a vending machine company for a few years and then served as storage.
The building was designated as a local landmark by the city in 1995.
Currently, the building is vacant and not in use. It was purchased by Holly and Nathan Stitt, owners of Stitt Barony LLC, in September 2019.
Historic elements from the building's past remain, including faded signs on the exterior reading "International Shoe Co." and "Main Street Factory," and overall, the building has not seen many changes, especially in recent years.
The building was determined to be eligible for nomination to the historic register because its local historical significance.
In other business, the commission approved demolition of four properties - 412 Case Ave., 422 Case Ave., 427 Union St. and 1223 Adams St. - owned by the Jefferson City School District.
The Historic Preservation Commission must approve demolition requests for homes 50 years or older.
These four properties join a number of others owned by the school district in the area that have been slated for demolition, many of which received damage from the May 22, 2019, tornado. This spring, 34 houses were demolished.