New hope for McKinney Building

CoMo Preservation supports the City of Columbia’s plan to buy the McKinney Building. Ideas for the use of this building have included a possible cultural center. The plans for the building will be decided by a committee of community stakeholders.

In case you missed the news, on Aug. 21, 2023, the City Council voted unanimously to approve a proposal to buy the building at 411-413 E. Broadway for $1.5 million plus fees and an additional $200,000 for costs. You can see the vote here on this City of Columbia video of the City Council meeting. The discussion begins City of Columbia video at 48:42.

Here are links to coverage by the Columbia Missourian and KOMU on Aug. 18, 2023 of the plan to buy the building.

This building holds a crucial position in Columbia and the community’s African-American history. It is located next to the Second Baptist Missionary Church and near the J.W. “Blind” Boone House, which the city purchased and renovated.

Built 1917-1918 by Black bricklayer Frank McKinney, it operated with retail space at the street level and a dance hall on the second floor until his death in 1934. This entertainment venue drew luminaries from the jazz music scene including a young Bill “Count” Basie as well as others. After McKinney’s death, the building’s dance floor was dismantled and it went on to house a number of other businesses including a stint as a chicken hatchery. It was also used as a department store and most recently as a physical rehabilitation space.

The city’s plans call for buying and renovating the building and then like the Maplewood House and the Boone Home, it would be operated by a community organization. The Maplewood House is operated by the Boone County History & Culture Center. The Boone Home is operated by the John William Boone Heritage Foundation.

The McKinney Building was named to the city’s Most Notable Properties list in 2003 and is also listed on the Boone County Historic Society’s list of Historic Sites.