Joplin's historic buildings draw new interest

JOPLIN, Mo. — For much of the year, several downtown Joplin buildings have been for sale—but that list is growing shorter by the day.

Several prominent buildings in downtown Joplin have been on the selling block for much of 2024. But Lori Haun with the Downtown Joplin Alliance says, as the year comes to a close, that's starting to change.

"Stuff had kind of mid last year was kind of quiet in the way of property, which property stuff has been moving over the last few years, so it was a little unusual. But last quarter it's really picked back up, so we're seeing a lot more of those properties going ahead and moving or getting under contract," said Haun.

She believes several economic factors combined to cause a backlog of potential sales.

"The cost of goods and labor and all that has gone up, so it really kind of we saw 2024 really slowing some of the development of what's going on downtown. But we're hopeful, and it's looking like as we move into 2025, some of those will kind of correct themselves, and things will kind of get back underway as everybody gets their footing underneath them again," said Haun.

So why the optimism?

She says the Spiva building has been purchased by the Economic Security Corporation, and there's been a $2.4 million offer made on the U.S. Bank building. She also says both the Carnegie Library and the Pearl Brothers building are now under contract to sell.

Haun says that sale going through could have a ripple effect.

"Blue Haven owns Pearl Brothers, the Y, and the Olivia, and our hope is with them selling Pearl Brothers, that the other two projects will be able to move forward."