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Old post office/jail makes Places in Peril list
The Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation announced its 2017 list of historic “Places in Peril” on Aug. 25. Included among the 13 is a building which was Nevada’s old post office for over 50 years and later the sheriff’s office and jail for more than 45 years.
The announcement was made at what was billed as an “unhappy hour,” held in the National Building Arts Center near St. Louis and attended by Bushwhacker Museum director, Will Tollerton and his wife, Whitney.
Seven places on the list were new with the remaining six having been carried over from the previous year.
Executive Director, Bill Hart, was pleased to announce that three of the places on last year’s list are in the process of being “saved.”
Said Hart, “Once an historic resource is gone, it’s gone forever. By publicizing these places, the organization hopes to build support toward the eventual preservation of each property named.”
According to a press release, getting a building added to this list is not always easy or quick yet it was accomplished through the diligent efforts of Tollerton.
As one might expect, the size of a post office is set by the volume of mail. While Nevada has had a post office since May 2, 1855 — when it was called Haletown and was part of Bates County — it was small. The location moved several times before finding its home on the north side of the square at 118 W. Walnut, currently J&R’s Home Store.
It might have stayed that way if not for Sidney Weltmer and his Weltmer Institute, established in 1897.
Author of the book “How to make Magnetic Healing Pay,” Weltmer practiced what he preached and soon he and 17 other healers he employed required over 100 stenographers and typists to process the thousands of letters received each week by the institute.
This increase in mail volume bumped Nevada to a higher class of post office which brought funds for the construction of not merely a larger but what was and remains a truly grand building for the handling of the mails.
Completed in 1910, the 6,000 square foot building was designed by James Knox Taylor, then supervising architect of the United States Department of the Treasury.
Taylor studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and designed many notable buildings including the Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital, the buildings which house the Denver and Philadelphia Mints, as well as post offices from New York to San Francisco.
Said Tollerton, “The old post office was designed in what is called the Beaux-Arts style, back when public buildings were memorials to the way America thought of itself.”
He mentioned the loss of similarly styled buildings such as Union Depot and the original state mental hospital.
“The old post office is representative of Nevada’s heyday when the town was growing, expanding, up and coming; it was the progressive era,” said Tollerton.
Original Beaux-Arts detailing includes swags over the second story windows, balustrade, cartouche and colossal columns. The fenestration (windows) consists of tripartite sash windows within rounded arches on the central pavilion and paired one-over-one light sash windows on the second story.
Said Tollerton, who has had the opportunity to enter the building recently said, “The years of vacancy have not been kind. The roof leaks, paint is peeling, there is mold throughout and in some places, pigeon waste is more than an inch deep.”
Asked what original features remain inside, Tollerton mentioned the grandeur of the vaulted ceilings and the marble staircase to the second floor. Instead of having spindles, the graceful banister has intricately wrought iron latticework.
As Nevada grew, the post office needed to expand but the building’s design and lot size did not permit this and so in 1962, the current post office was opened. The Nevada R-5 school district considered converting the old post office into a school but instead, the county acquired the building and modified it to become the county jail.
Three years after the current jail was opened in May 2009, the county auctioned off the old building as surplus property. Purchased by Joe Barker for $35,000, a bit later he sold it to Rita Pisciotta, who is the current owner.
With the help of Missouri Preservation, Tollerton was able to get an opinion from the State Historic Preservation Office declaring the building would qualify for the National Register of Historic Places.
If a new owner desired the significant state and federal tax credits which come with such a designation, the National Register listing could be obtained. However, since a National Register listing comes with strictures on what can be done to the building, this has not been obtained in order for a new owner to be free to proceed as best serves the situation.
The Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation is a statewide non-profit organization whose mission is to “advocate for, educate about and assist in the preservation of architectural and historic landmarks which embody Missouri’s unique heritage and sense of place.
The “Places in Peril” listing began in 2000 as a media campaign. The program calls attention to endangered historic resources statewide which are threatened by deterioration, lack of maintenance, insufficient funds, imminent demolition and/or inappropriate development.
Said Tollerton, “Just because something is old doesn’t mean it’s worth saving.”
He spoke of packrats who save everything leaving most people shaking their heads.
“But some buildings and some places really are a part of who we are,” said Tollerton. “They tell our story and we need to find a way to save them for generations to come.”
Tollerton added, if anyone has an interest or has contact with an individual or group who might be interested in purchasing the old post office or in some way “furthering the mission of saving the building,” they are invited to contact him at 417-667-9602. He will be glad to answer questions and put people in touch with the owner.