On January 19, 1929, Mayor W.J. Hetzler announced he would run for a second term. He had come to Columbia from Canton, Missouri in 1905 with his brother J.P. Hetzler. They built an ice plant and meat locker in 1906 that still stands at the southeast corner of Providence and Broadway. This was the first ice plant in Columbia, before ice was shipped in by train or manufactured from local bodies of water. The timber used for construction was from temporary structures at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. The limestone was from the quarries on Rock Quarry Road and cut on site. According to the Missourian, “it was the first cold storage plant in Missouri and the largest in the state with 10 rooms and 2,800 lockers.” Ice was delivered with horse and wagon for many years. In 1916 the Hetzler Brothers would open a one story terra-cotta faced grocery and meat store, just up the street from the ice house at 706 East Broadway. J.P Hetzler told the Missourian that it would "be the finest meat market in Missouri."

In 1927, weeks after W.J. Hetzler was elected mayor, they sold the ice house, anticipating the rise of electric refrigeration. Ice was still manufactured in the building until 1979. The ice house, as today, often held multiple tenants. J.C. Penney’s Company opened store number 757 in the 1920s, their first in Columbia. Penney’s would move several times, first downtown, then to Parkade Shopping Center, finally to the Columbia Mall where it remains today.

The ice house survived a close shave with destruction just a few years ago. CVS Pharmacy, based in Massachusetts and the largest pharmacy chain in the United States, attempted to built a suburban-style corporate store at the location. Their plan would have demolished the ice house, covered part of Flat Branch Creek, and placed a brick wall along Broadway, with the store facing a new parking lot to the south. The rezoning necessary to complete the plan was rejected by the Columbia City Council after public outcry. Former Mayor Brian Treece, then a councilmember, asked CVS’s lawyer "has the architect for this ever set foot in Columbia?" The Historic Preservation Commission requested an archeological survey of the area, concerned about possible remains of Native American and early Columbia history.

The city has long owned a small plot of land between the ice house and the intersection of Providence and Broadway, it also purchased another small plot over Flat Branch Creek. In 2021, a gateway sculpture was unveiled celebrating Columbia’s bicentennial. Flat Branch Creek was uncovered and is being restored, extending Flat Branch Park to one of Columbia’s busiest intersections. The Ice House still stands in 2023 and houses several local businesses: Columbia Real Estate, Arena Liquor, Poe Golf, and the Electric Peacock Tattoo Shop. The Hetzler Meat Market, three blocks away, is home to The Canvas on Broadway, also locally owned. The Hetzler Brothers Meat Shop is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing structure to the Downtown Columbia National Historic District. The registration form, prepared by local architectural historian Debbie Sheals, describes the building as follows:

A…Craftsman style one-part commercial block, with a flat roof and glazed terra cotta walls and cornice. This is the most elaborate example of terra cotta facing on a one story building in the downtown area. The entire upper facade is faced with glazed white terra cotta, with pale yellow accents. A heavy dentiled cornice across the facade is topped by a shaped parapet that features a central panel with the name 'Hetzler" in green and white terra cotta.”

Inspired by the preservation of historic buildings built from local materials, our group, CoMo Preservation, hopes to help homeowners, landlords, and institutions prevent the destruction of historic architecture. Original period styles might be replicated, but will forever lack the social history of authentic structures. The preservation of historic buildings is necessary for Columbia’s residents, students, and visitors to achieve a sense of place and, it follows, for our city’s continued economic success. If you want to join us in our mission sign up for our mailing list to receive news and updates.

Sources

• Missourian Staff (January 19, 1929). Hetzler To Run For Second Term. Columbia, Missouri: Columbia Missourian. Archived at Missouri Digital Heritage. Accessed January 19, 2023.

• Sheals, Debbie (May 1, 2006). National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Downtown Columbia Historic District. Columbia, Missouri. Accessed January 19, 2023.

• Dohack, Caroline (July 18, 2008). History Unthawed. Columbia, Missouri: Columbia Missourian. Accessed January 19, 2023.

• Aton, Adam (August 18, 2013). Downtown Columbia Leadership Council unimpressed with latest CVS proposal. Columbia, Missouri: Columbia Missourian. Accessed January 19, 2023.

• Germond, Al (May 26, 2015). Historic...Or Nostalgic?. Columbia, Missouri: COMO Magazine. Accessed January 19, 2023.

• Tibbitts, Tracee (May 28, 2015). Ice House, facing demolition, houses more than 100 years of history. Columbia, Missouri: Columbia Missourian. Accessed January 19, 2023.

• Jackson, Dylan (September 30, 2016). Columbia council looking to purchase historic property, expand Flat Branch Park. Columbia, Missouri: Columbia Missourian. Accessed January 19, 2023.

• Decker, Sean (July 2, 2021). Ribbon-cutting celebrates first phase of Gateway Plaza. Columbia, Missouri: KOMU 8 via the Columbia Missourian. Accessed January 19, 2023.

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