By Marshall Griffin, St. Louis Public Radio
Jefferson City, Mo. – Missouri's Advisory Council on Historic Preservation today nominated 14 sites to be added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Four of the sites are in and around St. Louis, including the North Broadway Wholesale and Warehouse District.
Melissa Winchester works with Lafser and Associates, a consulting firm that represents the district.
"We're losing a lot of our commercial structures up in this part of St. Louis, so we're excited to actually get a historic district going and help promote some incentive for property owners or new developers to buy these buildings and save them and make them functional again," Winchester said.
The other St. Louis-area sites nominated are the Sligo Iron Store Company, S. Pfeiffer Manufacturing Company Headquarters, and the Joseph and Ann Murphy Residence in University City.
Nick Crouse is with Philadelphia-based Heritage Consulting Group, which represents the Sligo Iron Store Company.
"(Sligo) first established its office in St. Louis in the 1830's, and they were the first company to establish a metal supply warehouse and store west of the Mississippi River...this complex was a 20th Century home to that company...it was one of the most well-known supply stores in the early 20th Century, and stocked over 40,000 items in these warehouses, which was a phenominal amount of items at the time," Crouse said.
Outside the St. Louis area, one site nominated for the National Register is the Rail Haven Motel in Springfield, which is along historic Route 66. Randy Nottle manages the motel.
"We cater to a lot of European travelers coming down Route 66...everything in the hotel is original, (although) the furniture recently has been updated...(the motel is) still in great condition," Nottle said.
The National Park Service has 45 days to approve or reject the nominations. Those added to the National Register of Historic Places will also be eligible to receive Historic Preservation tax credits.
Other nominated sites around the state:
West Broadway Historic District, Columbia
Sweet Springs Historic District
Trenton High School, Trenton
Sherwood Manufacturing Company Building, Lee's Summit
Producers Produce Company Plant, Springfield
McKittrick Farmers Mercantile
Ligon Apartments and the Colonial Hotel, Excelsior Springs
Chillicothe Industrial Home for Girls