Retro CoMO

Remember when I wrote about the building at 1002 Locust in Columbia?

And how I said that I feared that someone would someday knock it down?

They’re doing it.  They’re currently gutting it and it’s going to be demolished in the next few days.

I am pretty sad.  I walk by it twice a day, every day, but I’m going to have to alter my route so I don’t have to see the destruction.  It seems like such a waste of neat and unusual architecture.

It was less than a year ago that I wrote that original post.  I’m glad I took some pictures before they started ripping things up.

I walk by this building at 1002 Locust Street in Columbia every day, and I love it, but I don’t know much about it.  I know that it was used as a dentist’s office for many years, but it is empty now.  I fear that someone will knock it down at some point, which will make me angry.

I took some photos earlier this fall, and here they are for your viewing pleasure.

This is the front of the building, facing Locust Street to the north.

This is the south side of the building, facing Elm Street.  You can see some period plantings there- I think the yucca was pretty standard for the time, and I’ve heard that it’s pretty hard to get rid of it once it’s there.

Same with English ivy- invasive!

The condition of the wood makes me sad.

This is the west side of the building, facing 10th Street.

I love the lines of this building.

I love the detail in the bricks.

I have a secret desire to rent this building and sell some retro furniture and accessories.  I think about it every time I walk past this building on the way to my day job.  That sounds sad and depressing, but honestly I know I wouldn’t do very well as a small business owner.  I would buy things because I love them and then I would hope that no one would buy them from me.  And I would rent this building because of its architecture, not because it would be a good spot for a junk store.  Know thyself!  It’s how you don’t waste money on small business loans when you don’t have the heart of a small business owner!

One last photo with the detail from the door on the west side.  I love this!

Do you have an extra $735,000 lying around?  Want to buy the coolest house in the entire town of Centralia, Missouri (population 3,774)?

You are in luck.

I am not exaggerating about this being the coolest house in town.  It is located at 543 Jefferson Street, which is the main thoroughfare, in the middle of town but on four acres.  The house has 8 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms (7 of which are full and 2 partial) in 9,937 square feet.  I think it even has a ballroom!  It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979 (here’s a copy of the nomination form with a ton of information).  It was built in 1940, and is technically in the Art Moderne style rather than Art Deco, though it could also be considered the International Style.

It was built for F. Gano Chance, son of A.B. Chance, the man who owned a factory in town that employs a large percentage of the town’s population to this day (though it is no longer owned by the Chance family).  It has been known as the Chance Guest House because it is still owned by the AB Chance Company, and has been used as a guest residence for visitors to the factory as well as parties, but is also known as Chatol (a combination of Chance and Toalson, Mrs. Chance’s maiden name).

On page 20 of the DNR form above is a blueprint layout of the house, and these pictures were taken from the real estate listing.  It looks like that ballroom was probably originally the room with the indoor pool, but the pool is no longer operational.

The square footage of the house is 2.63 times the population of the town!  You literally could have a party and invite the entire town and they could all fit into your house.  (Not comfortably, but some of them might not show up, and others will spend their time outside smoking anyway, so it would be fine.  Do it!)

Have I convinced you yet?

Centralia is about thirty minutes northeast of Columbia.  Full disclosure: my parents have lived in that area since 2000, so I have been driving by this house for the past nine years, usually longing for a better glimpse inside.  Centralia is a very nice town with a good school system, and totally within commuting distance from Columbia, Mexico, and Moberly.  Actually, my dad regularly commutes between Centralia and Jefferson City, so there’s that too!

You should buy this house.  Then you should read my blog to find some cool furniture to put in your awesome house.  And then you should invite me in for a better look so I can post pictures to this blog.  That’s what you should do.