History Museum headed to Park Central Square

The museum had been seeking a building to relocate from its current spot at historic City Hall for some time, according to museum board President Andrew Baird, director of administration for Conco Cos.

Community Foundation of the Ozarks accepted anonymous donations for the museum through the Ozarks Charitable Real Estate Foundation and purchased the building on Park Central Square for $800,000, CFO President Gary Funk said. When renovations are complete, ownership will transfer to the museum.

Clean-up work is under way on the first floor of the 154 Park Central Square building, where the “Get on Board: Frisco – The Railroad that Made Springfield Great” exhibit will run June 28–Sept. 20. The exhibit about the railroad’s arrival, growth and impact on the area kicks off with a preview event 7–10 p.m. June 26 called “Get on Board for a Night at the Museum!” Tickets are $25.

Meanwhile, the museum is working to drum up contributions for the two-story building’s renovation. No timeline or costs are set, but plans are “evolving pretty rapidly,” Baird said. CFO will continue to help the museum manage donations, Funk said.

Baird said the new space would allow the museum to take advantage of new multi-media for high-tech exhibits and shine a spotlight on the history of downtown Springfield, with the possibility for walking tours. The building’s accessibility and visibility were a major draw, he said.

“We felt like we had been putting on some great exhibits over the last couple of years, but we just hadn’t been able to get as many people as we would like to come through,” Baird said. “We thought, with the revitalization and everything that’s happening downtown, that if we had a space that was a little more in the middle of what goes on, easier to get to and more visible, that the work we put into the exhibits would pay off a little bit more.”

Jim Morris of Morris Oil Co. is the building’s previous owner. Its most recent tenants – Drink and The Burgundy Room – closed in November 2005.

This story originally appeared in SBJ’s June 12 free e-news Daily Update. Click here to register.