This 80 plus year old former department store includes six floors and over 70,000
S.F.
The City of Joplin purchased it and commissioned PLJBD to develop the program to
modify the building to house seven different city departments and the City Council
chambers.
As the design for each floor developed, PLJBD allowed for expansion of each department
as well as providing several conference and meeting rooms that accommodate the varied
needs of the city staff.
One challenging aspect of the project was the development of the Council Chambers.
The existing structural elements of the building included columns spaced at 25 feet
each direction. The chamber needed to seat at least 300 people. PLJBD was able
to create a space by removing one column.
One notable feature of the project was designing a suitable space to display the
Joplin Thomas Hart Benton Mural along with a gallery to exhibit many artifacts of
the mural.