Board recommends historic designation for Joplin house
Oct. 16—A Joplin couple's home that is about 124 years old is to be considered for local landmark designation after a hearing by the Joplin Historic Preservation Commission.
Owners William and Linda Mosley asked the commission on Tuesday for recognition of the Wilber-Weeks House at 117 N. Moffet Ave. The circa-1900 home is located in the Wilson-Hutton development bordering the National Murphysburg Residential Historic District and the North Heights Historic Neighborhood.
Construction of the home includes a foundation, solid slab balustrades and plinths of Carthage limestone. The house was designed by a prominent architectural firm of the era, Garstang & Rea. That firm also designed the First United Methodist Church, 501 W. First St., and numerous other buildings and houses in the Joplin area.
The first owners of the house were Frederic and Fannie Wilber. He was the district manager for the Hercules Powder Co., according to the application for historic designation.
The next significant owners were Frank and Herma Weeks. Frank Weeks owned and operated numerous mines in Missouri and Oklahoma and explored mining in Texas. It is reported in historical documents that contemporaries of Weeks regarded him as one of the most successful and progressive mine operators in the Tri-State Mining District.
Weeks' first venture in mining was in the the old Sampson mine, west of Schifferdecker Park, where he was associated with W.J. Briggle. Weeks also operated the old Kitty mine at Thoms Station in Carl Junction, one of the heavy zinc producers in those days, according to the nomination.
Linda Mosley told the commission that Weeks added a bedroom and library to the house, which expanded it by about one-third of its original size. The addition is described in the documents as having Georgian-style windows, double French doors to exit to the patio and 12-foot ceilings inside.
The house has been known as the Weeks house, but the current owners asked that it be listed for historic purposes in joint names of the first two owners as the Wilber-Weeks house.
City planner Thomas Walters advised the commission that the dual designation of the names is in keeping with the commission's policy.
The commission approved the dual designation and voted to advance the request for landmark designation to the city's Planning and Zoning Commission for that panel's action.
In other business, the commission also approved a certificate of appropriateness for replacement of a storefront of 106 S. Main St. It was the former location of The Boardroom, a now-closed charcuterie restaurant.
The building front was destroyed in a Sept. 24 accident in which a driver who was trying to park a car stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brake and the car plunged through the front of the building. No one was injured, police said at the time.
The building is owned by Jon Buck. He asked the commission to allow the storefront to be replaced with clear glass and bronze metal framework rather than wood. The commission agreed that the plan met with design standards for the downtown historic district.
