How Joplin Lost Hundreds of Jobs While the Newman Brothers Building Was Saved: The Untold Story Behind a Historic Landmark
JOPLIN, MO (STL.News) The Newman Brothers Building, now home to Joplin City Hall, is one of the region’s most important architectural landmarks at 602 Main Street, Joplin, MO. Its towering brick façade rises above Main Street, a reminder of the city’s early 20th-century prosperity and its ambitious retail expansion. But behind the landmark’s preserved beauty lies a complicated, lesser-known story—one involving private investment, political maneuvering, and a pivotal moment when Joplin lost the opportunity to bring hundreds of high-quality jobs into the heart of its downtown.
The building was ultimately saved thanks to the efforts of individual visionaries who saw potential where others saw only blight. Yet its path from department store to City Hall also includes a chapter that many longtime residents never heard: the decision by the City of Joplin to block a major corporate tenant by refusing to cooperate on essential infrastructure needs—specifically parking—because the city wanted the building for itself.
The result was a historic preservation victory, but an economic development loss that changed the trajectory of downtown Joplin.
A Building Near Demolition
Constructed in 1910, the Newman Brothers Building originally housed Newman’s Department Store, one of the most popular retailers in the Four States region. For decades, it was a regional magnet for shoppers and a symbol of Joplin’s mining-era wealth.
But after Newman’s relocated to Northpark Mall in 1972, the building fell into vacancy and disrepair. By the late 1980s, the city considered it obsolete and advocated for demolition. The building’s future appeared sealed until Kenny Cox, who operated a teen club called The Boulevard inside the structure, challenged that decision and successfully halted the teardown plans.
Cox’s intervention bought time—time that would prove critical when two private investors stepped forward with a plan bold enough to save the landmark.
Smith and Fears Took the Risk the City Wouldn’t
In 1995, Martin Smith and Greg Fears acquired the Newman Brothers Building and launched a massive $5 million renovation. Their commitment was extraordinary at a time when downtown Joplin was struggling, and private investment in the area was sparse.
Their vision for the building was not short-term. They intended it to become a catalyst for downtown revitalization, filled with tenants, employees, and economic activity. From structural repairs to utility modernization, their work restored the building’s dignity and returned it to a functional, leasable condition.
Smith and Fears renovated several downtown Joplin buildings, which launched the area’s revitalization.
Instead of support, however, Smith and Fears found themselves navigating political friction with the City of Joplin, a costly battle that cost the city millions of dollars in new, high-paying jobs.
The City’s Push for City Hall
During the renovation, the City approached Smith and Fears about leasing the building to relocate City Hall. On the surface, the proposal seemed positive. But to the owners, the offer came with significant concerns:
- The city’s previous administrative building had suffered from years of inadequate maintenance, leaving Smith and Fears doubtful that the city would properly care for their newly restored landmark.
- They believed the building deserved higher-value commercial use that would bring jobs and create momentum for the downtown economy.
- They were committed to securing a major employer, not a municipal tenant with a track record of poor facility upkeep.
Smith and Fears declined the city’s lease proposal, but the city’s interest in the building did not end. Instead, it intensified the political undertones surrounding the property.
A Major Employer Steps Forward: Blue Cross Blue Shield
Working with a Chicago-based commercial real estate firm, Smith and Fears attracted the attention of Blue Cross Blue Shield, which expressed serious interest in leasing the entire building for a regional operational center. The offer included:
- 200–300 mid- to high-paying professional jobs
- A long-term lease
- A strengthened daytime workforce to support downtown retail and restaurants
- A major corporate anchor capable of catalyzing broader development
For Joplin, this was a rare opportunity—high-quality jobs, a prestigious employer, and a massive economic boost to its ailing downtown district.
Yet securing the deal required one essential component: adequate parking, something the building itself lacked.
The City Blocks the Deal by Refusing Parking
Because the building had limited on-site parking, Blue Cross Blue Shield required guaranteed access to city-controlled lots or the construction of additional spaces. The request was straightforward, and in most cities, such cooperation is routine when courting a major employer.
But Joplin officials declined to help.
Despite the company’s arrival would have infused the city with hundreds of stable jobs and long-term economic uplift, the city refused to provide or negotiate parking solutions, effectively making the deal impossible to finalize.
Why? Because the city had already set its sights on converting the Newman Brothers Building into City Hall and did not want a large corporate tenant standing in the way.
The refusal was not incidental—it was strategic and damaging to many people.
By withholding cooperation on parking, the city ensured that the Blue Cross Blue Shield offer would collapse, clearing the way for it to acquire the building in the end.
The Jobs That Never Came
When the city refused to cooperate, the Chicago real estate firm relayed the impasse to Blue Cross Blue Shield. Without guaranteed parking or infrastructure commitments, the company withdrew its interest in the property.
The economic impact of that decision still echoes today:
- Hundreds of high-paying jobs never materialized
- Downtown Joplin missed an opportunity to anchor new growth
- Additional private investment that would have followed never occurred
- A chance to reposition the city as a regional employment center slipped away
For a community seeking to diversify its economy and strengthen its downtown tax base, losing such an employer was a major setback—one caused not by market conditions, but by political decision-making.
The City Eventually Takes the Building
After the Blue Cross Blue Shield opportunity dissolved, the city continued positioning itself to acquire the building. Several years later, it purchased the structure and began converting it into the facility Joplin residents know today as City Hall.
To the public, the transformation appeared to be a simple municipal investment in historic architecture. But the deeper story reflects the tension between private initiative and political ambition—two forces that often pull in opposite directions.
A Historic Win Paired With an Economic Loss
The Newman Brothers Building was undeniably saved. Its demolition was prevented, it was restored to structural integrity, and it stands today as one of the region’s architectural gems.
But the price of that preservation—paired with the city’s desire to secure the building for governmental use—was the loss of a significant economic development opportunity.
This dual narrative creates a complicated legacy:
- A historic victory for preservation
- A missed opportunity for economic growth
- A case study in how political priorities can overshadow broader community benefit
The Legacy of Those Who Saved the Building
It is important to recognize the individuals who ensured the building survived at all:
- Kenny Cox, who stopped the initial demolition
- Martin Smith and Greg Fears, who personally financed and executed the restoration
Their vision, commitment, and investment saved one of Joplin’s most iconic structures—long before the city ever showed interest in preserving it. In fact, the city wanted to demolish the building to make way for additional parking, which was not needed at that time. Smith and Fears declined to work with the city and its mayor, Ron Richard, at the time, primarily due to the city’s lack of maintenance on the city hall at that time, and their lack of vision to renovate this historic property targeting it to be demolished, which prompted Smith and Fears to engage in the venture; to save the building from the city.
The irony is inescapable: the building stands because private citizens fought to save it, yet the jobs that could have filled it were lost because the city would not support those same private efforts.
Conclusion
The story of the Newman Brothers Building is a reminder that decisions made in city hall chambers can reshape a community for generations. Joplin preserved a historic building—an undeniable accomplishment—but lost hundreds of well-paying jobs that could have revitalized downtown.
Historic preservation and economic development do not have to conflict. But in this chapter of Joplin’s history, they did. And the consequences are still visible today in the jobs that never arrived, the companies that never relocated, and the opportunities that never had a chance to take root.
The Newman Brothers Building stands proudly on Main Street—a testament to vision, resilience, and private investment. But it also stands as a reminder of what might have been.
References:
- The General Contractor for the project was retired electrical engineer Kenneth Sipe.
- McElwee Associates, 111 West Third, Joplin, MO – Phone: 417-782-1381 – served as the Architects and Engineers for Smith and Fears.
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