From the Darkroom: Making way for an expanded Heer's building in downtown Springfield

This old building on Olive Street was demolished in order to expand Heer’s Inc.

The demolition was part of Heer’s expansion program, which made the department store one big unit. Adjacent to the demolished structure was a building that previously housed Sedwick’s Furniture Store. Notably, this building had undergone its own transformation, being reduced from a seven-story structure to a mere two stories.

The building in the foreground of the image had a diverse history. Over the years, it served variously as a tire store, an auto sales showroom, a pool hall, a bar, and intriguingly, even as a mule barn. The photograph was taken during the demolition phase, with workers anticipating the complete dismantling of the building within a two-week timeframe.

Plans for the new construction included a full basement, a main floor, a mezzanine, and a second floor. Additionally, Heer’s Inc. envisioned the building to be robust enough to support an additional five stories in the future, aligning with the company's long-term aspirations. This photograph was published in the Leader & Press on April 28, 1950.

This image is part of a much larger collection of historically rich photographs from the News-Leader’s photo archive. Each week, the Springfield-Greene County Library will tap into this vast collection and present an interesting image “from the darkroom" and share its history. This image is presented in partnership between the Springfield-Greene County Library District and the Springfield News-Leader. For more historical images of the Ozarks, visit: thelibrary.org/fromthedarkroom.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: From the Darkroom: Making way for an expanded Heer's building