If you're one of the tens of thousands of people who drive through Kingdom City each year, you've likely seen the future home of a planned firefighter museum looming above Interstate 70.
Though the building's exterior is largely complete, its interior is still unfinished. The firefighting artifacts that will one day fill the sizable space wait in storage and in the homes of patient donors. The building has been under construction since early 2019, and there's no set opening date yet.
"With COVID, it's messed everything up: our fundraising and our exposure to people," said Kenneth Hoover, a member of the Firefighter Memorial Board.
Hoover spent 45 years as chief of Little Dixie Fire Protection District in Mexico and now spends much of his spare time fundraising for the museum. He and his wife recently sponsored the installation of a picnic shelter at the site.
The project to construct Missouri's Firefighters Memorial began in 2002, and momentum has followed the economy's ups and downs since then.
"I predicted it would open in 2020 - that didn't happen," Hoover said.
This museum is the final portion of the monument. A sculpture of a kneeling firefighter, backed by slabs of stones etched with the names of fallen firefighters, is the crown jewel of the memorial, visible to passersby on the freeway.
The original statue created for the memorial was instead given to the people of New York after the 9/11 attacks and placed near Times Square. Fire Fighters Association of America already uses the plaza for its annual memorial service.
Someday, Hoover said, the fire station-themed building will hold between 12-15 firefighting apparatus (including a 1929 Model A firetruck), displays of firefighting equipment dating from 100 years ago to the present and computer-accessible information on the history of every fire department in Missouri. Many items have been donated already; some are stored in the basement of Kingdom City City Hall and others in homes and fire departments around the state.
A committee vets all donations to ensure they meet standards for inclusion in the collection.
The northern portion of the building will have offices for FFAM, a training room big enough for 75-100 people, and one or two small hotel rooms to house volunteer museum staff.
Hoover said all that's left to do outside is install a stormwater drainage system and pour a sidewalk.
"It's a beautiful structure," he said.
Doc Kritzer, fellow board member and former firefighter with the Central Callaway Fire Protection District, estimated the cost to date at $500,000.
"We spent all the money that had been given thus far, just about, building the shell, with hopes that once people saw building there, donations would come in to support it," he said Friday.
Inside, the building is an empty shell. Interior walls are missing, as are wiring, plumbing, fixtures and more. Hoover estimated it will cost $250,000-$300,000 to complete the building's interior. Kritzer put the number higher, at between $300,000-$400,000.
"Nobody knows because nobody got into it to get some estimates; they just built it," Kritzer said.
Hoover noted FFAM has already made some cost-saving compromises. The building is smaller than originally planned, for one: just 12,000 feet compared to more than 20,000.
Thanks to those compromises, the board has been able to pay off all the construction to date, rather than taking on debt, Hoover said.
But, Kritzer pointed out, the board has more to worry about than the cost to complete the building. Once it's open, there will be operating expenses, including a likely hefty heating and cooling bill.
"We've got to have more local support, and statewide too - this is a statewide memorial and statewide museum," he said.
Members of the memorial board are still meeting regularly via Zoom and working to bring construction to a close.
"We're not going to give up," Hoover said.
Kritzer noted the board has been applying for grants and talking to businesses about donating material and labor. Recently, they auctioned off a donated whole beef and raised around $10,000 - though, as Hoover pointed out, it would take many beeves to raise the needed money.
"We just need to get over the hump and find some generous donors," Hoover said.
Right now, the board is focusing on planning the annual Missouri Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service, currently set for May 15-16.
To keep up with the latest news on the project, visit ffam.org/memorial or check the FFAM Facebook page. The FFAM website also includes donation links. Hoover said he's happy to speak to or meet with anyone who has questions about the project; he may be contacted at [email protected].