2025 Honor Awards

2025 Honor Award Press Release Download

The Rozier Award

Deb Sheals

Columbia, Boone County
Deb Sheals is an architectural historian with over thirty years of experience as a historic preservation consultant. She holds an undergraduate degree in Housing, and a Masters Degree in Architectural History and Historic Preservation, both from the University of Missouri — Columbia. Deb has worked on hundreds of projects across Missouri and beyond, including nominations for the National Register of Historic Places, historic structures reports, and historic rehabilitations using state and federal historic tax credits. While her professional portfolio is impressive, it is her dedication to historic preservation outside of her business, Building Preservation, LLC, that has set her apart. Deb joined the board of Missouri Preservation in 1996, served as President from 2000 to 2003, and ultimately earned a permanent place on the Advisory Board for her commitment to the organization. Missouri Preservation is not the only organization to have benefitted from her attention, she has contributed to a number of boards and commissions, including her local Downtown Columbia Community Improvement District. She is a devoted advocate for Missouri’s historic buildings and the programs that support them, especially the Missouri Historic Tax Credit, and has spent countless hours working to improve the program and educate our legislators about its importance. Missouri Preservation is incredibly grateful to Deb Sheals and is delighted to present her with the Rozier Award for her immense contributions to historic preservation in Missouri.

The McReynolds Award

Garcia Companies

Saint Louis City
The Garcia Companies had humble beginnings as Garcia Properties, founded by the husband-and-wife team of Ivan and Jennifer Garcia. In the early 2000’s, shortly after starting the company, they began rehabilitating four-family houses in south St. Louis. One successful rehab project led to another and before long the company grew to include Ivan’s brother, Berto. In 2019, after years rehabbing small projects across the south side, the Garcia’s decided to focus closer to home. They had already nominated the former auto dealership, home to their offices, to the National Register of Historic Places. Looking south, they began to buy further property along a two block stretch of South Kingshighway and undertook the creation of the Kingshighway Hills Historic District. The area was historically significant as a bustling commercial and residential center in the late 1920s and many of the buildings in the district are embellished with an extensive use of terracotta in the Spanish Revival style. In 2020, the Garcia team began the extensive rehabilitation of the mixed-use buildings in the district; many of the rehabs using both state and federal historic tax credits. The last two buildings in the original district are approaching completion, including the Kingsway Building, which dominates the intersection of South Kingshighway and Chippewa. The district is now home to the Garcia Construction office as well as a number of other local businesses, including a leather goods maker and a popular coffee shop. This development represents over $10 million in investment and has spurred a renaissance for a long neglected corner of the city; and the Garcia’s aren’t done yet. Dedicated to their neighborhood and historic preservation, they now seek to expand the Kingshighway Hills Historic District, and their revitalization efforts, south of Chippewa.

The Osmund Overby Award

The Foot: A Community Remembered

Jefferson City, Cole County
Per Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, construction of the interchange at US 50 and Lafayette Street in Jefferson City resulted in an Adverse Effect when the last remaining buildings of the historic Foot Neighborhood were demolished. The Foot, an African American community that thrived from about 1900 until the construction of Highway 50 and urban renewal efforts in the 1960s, is now memorialized as Jefferson City’s first Historical Legacy District, a type of district specifically created by the city to recognize a place with no extant buildings. To honor the legacy of The Foot, a team from Lochmueller Group worked closely with the local community and the Missouri Department of Transportation to produce a 40-minute documentary titled The Foot: A Community Remembered. The film utilizes oral histories, archival photographs, and narrative storytelling to preserve the memories of a community that has largely been erased from the landscape; it serves not only to illuminate the past but also to address the complex feelings surrounding the community’s loss. The project faced significant challenges, particularly in establishing trust with community members that would allow access to authentic narratives. During the editing of the documentary in 2023, three of the six “Storytellers” who shared their memories on camera about life in The Foot neighborhood passed away, underscoring the importance of preserving such oral histories before it is too late. This initiative is viewed as an important step towards healing long standing grievances and also aims to raise awareness of these historical narratives and their relevance to current social and environmental justice conversations. The documentary is now available for viewing on the Lincoln University YouTube Channel. Missouri Preservation is proud to recognize this creative way of mitigating adverse effects on an important aspect of Jefferson City’s history and the contribution it brings to the larger narrative as preservation works to ensure the recognition of underrepresented communities.

Preserve Missouri Awards

Old City Hall & Jailhouse

Columbia, Boone County
The c. 1901 City Hall & Jailhouse is notable as the oldest known city office building in Columbia, Missouri. It housed the city hall, police department, and the city’s first fire department from 1901, when it was first built, until approximately 1907; it later functioned as office and retail space. After being under-utilized for years and eventually left vacant, in 2022 the building was purchased by a couple with a number of other successful historic rehabs in downtown Columbia, John and Vicki Ott. This project was managed by their son, Tanner, who has joined the family business. The masonry throughout the building and on the exterior was in poor condition, which called for extensive repointing and other repairs. Removal of paint on the front wall required numerous applications of paint stripper to avoid damaging the historic material. Missing and deteriorated windows were replaced with clad wood windows with historically correct profiles. Vertical bars and steel interior shutters from the original jail windows were retained and restored. Inside the building, remnants of intact historic mill work were used as a pattern for the replication of missing features such as beadboard wainscot on the first floor. This rehabilitation project used both state and federal historic tax credits to return the building to its original commercial function, and now houses a popular restaurant on the ground floor and legal offices on the second.

Blackwater Bungalow

Blackwater, Cooper County
106 Main Street, located in Blackwater’s Commercial Historic District, was built in 1920 and was originally home to the Schupp Barber Shop. It served a number of purposes over the past century but was in a state of disrepair when former residents, Dr. Jacqueline Eidson and her husband, JW, saw its potential. They purchased the building in January 2024 and began a full-scale rehabilitation using both state and federal historic tax credits. The interior of the building was in such a poor state that nothing could be salvaged, save for the original concrete floors and brick walls. Extensive cleanup efforts were required before work could begin in earnest. The building received a new roof and virtually all new interior components, from the walls and insulation to wiring and HVAC. The original brick walls were preserved and serve as the visual anchor to the past. As a contributing building in the historic district, the exterior was carefully restored. Now known as Blackwater Bungalow, the revived space serves multiple purposes: a place for the Eidson family to stay when they come to town, a gathering place for local organizations, and a unique rental property for visitors to the community.

Pennington Lofts

Joplin, Jasper County
Work to rehabilitate the 400,000 square foot Pennington Drug Company building began nearly seven years ago. Although the building stood vacant for nearly 40 years, the historic open floor plates and exposed structure provided a clean canvas on which to start the rehabilitation. The first step in the project removed a non-historic 1950s facade which allowed the building to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places and qualify for historic tax credits. The developer immediately added a new roof and then, over the course of four years, rehabilitated the once vacant building into 21 apartment units, called “Pennington Lofts,” and three commercial spaces. The apartment design highlights the building’s historic industrial use, and features unique inverted steel rod trusses and historic steel windows. The project overcame several obstacles, including the global pandemic, increased construction costs, and higher-than-expected interest rates. Within the first three months of the building reopening, it was nearly 85 percent occupied. In addition to state and federal historic tax credits, the project received Chapter 353 property tax abatement from the City of Joplin. This retrofit celebrates sustainable design, art, open-mindedness and is a great example of giving a 100 year old building a better next century.

The Gathering KC | The Hope Center

Kansas City, Jackson County
Designed in 1924 by architect Frederick Gunn, the Holy Name Catholic Church in Kansas City originally housed the Annunciation Roman Catholic Church. After a 1940s remodel, the building remained active until 2015, when it was used for storage and public art exhibitions. The Hope Center, a local nonprofit in the historic Santa Fe Neighborhood, purchased the building with a vision to create a gathering space for their community. A 2021 structural report noted that the building retained many character-defining features, but had areas of significant water damage. Before the full rehabilitation could begin, the exterior masonry had to be stabilized and hazardous materials, like asbestos, abated. The full project began in 2023, and included stabilizing the building, adding a new roof, and addressing drainage issues. New energy-efficient windows replicated the deteriorated Transept and Nave windows. Three smaller stained glass windows were uncovered and restored. The project also restored other historic elements such as terrazzo floors, marble stairs, and a wood choir platform. Additional work recreated deteriorated plaster, upgraded the HVAC and electrical systems, added an accessible ramp, and a new fire suppression system. This work was completed in December 2024. With this successful rehabilitation, The Hope Center has transformed this historic building into The Gathering KC, a venue for community meetings and other outreach events, as well as leasable space that allows the organization to generate a bit of income to help them continue their mission of developing healthy and sustainable communities in Kansas City’s Eastside.

ZhouB Art Center

Kansas City, Jackson County
The Kansas City School District built the Attucks School in 1905 for the area’s growing Black population. An addition, which doubled the size of the original building, was built in 1922 to accommodate the increasing student body. The Attucks School functioned as a neighborhood grade school until 1990, when the district built a new Attucks Elementary School nearby. Despite efforts by the community, the school sat vacant for nearly 30 years. After extensive community engagement, the Zhou Brothers, Gateway Advisors, and RDM Companies identified the former school building as a prime location for their future arts center. The rehabilitation, which began in 2020, addressed damage to the building from decades of sitting vacant, and retained historic fabric wherever possible. New materials, such as aluminum windows and tongue-and-groove flooring, matched historic materials that had deteriorated or rotted away. Former classrooms were repurposed as artists studios, some retaining the historic chalkboards. The gymnasium now functions as a unique gallery and performance space, while the auditorium has been restored to its former glory and historic function as a grand performance space. This restoration included recreation of the collapsed ceiling and ornamental plaster beams. A new entry was added to the north side of the building and was designed to complement the historic features and massing of the original structure. With the help of both state and federal historic tax credits, this project has created a dynamic new use for this historic building that links well with the nearby historic 18th & Vine Jazz District.

The Dairy

Kansas City, Jackson County
Built in 1946, the Aines Farm Dairy Building was once a bustling hub for dairy production and distribution, but had fallen into disrepair over the years. The redevelopment project required extensive coordination and imagination to repair structural damage and update systems while preserving the building’s integrity. The team worked with architects, contractors, and preservation experts to honor the building’s rich history and make it an inviting space for modern use. The former dairy building’s legacy lives on through the introduction of Black Pantry, a dynamic commercial tenant, and 50 new loft-style apartment units above the commercial space. Designed to accommodate households within the 60-80 percent median income range, the lofts offer high-quality, affordable housing options in a growing neighborhood. The development leveraged tax abatement and historic tax credits to make the project financially viable. With over $15 million reinvested in the area, the project created 15 new jobs and provided a new sustainable living option for Kansas Citians. The Dairy Apartments stand as a testament to the power of reinvestment, breathing new life into a historic building while fostering an inclusive and thriving urban environment.

The Residences at Park 39

Kansas City, Jackson County
Designed in 1908 by Kansas City Public School District (KCPS) architect Charles A. Smith, the Westport High School is an excellent example of Progressive-era architecture and the earliest extant high school building in the district. The four-story building, which features a highly ornamented Jacobethan Style exterior, functioned as a high school until KCPS closed it as part of the right-sizing plan in 2010. Local developer Kansas City Sustainable Development Partners engaged with the school district and the community through the KCPS Repurposing Initiative on an adaptive use plan that would utilize state and federal historic tax credits to create 138 market-rate apartment units and a variety of tenant amenities within the former school building. Approved in 2019, the project survived the global pandemic, rising construction costs, supply chain issues, and rising interest rates. The facade was returned to its original appearance, primarily through the installation of historically appropriate windows.In the corridors the removal of non-historic partitions restored the open stairwells and revealed marble floors. Classrooms were sensitively designed to retain their historic volume of space and features such as chalkboards where possible. While converting classrooms to apartments is fairly common, the developers found creative ways to repurpose historic specialty spaces including the gymnasium, which was repurposed into apartment units that retained the historic height of the space and the wood floors, and the auditorium, which now functions as a tenant amity space. This rehabilitation of the former Westport High School is a great example of how our historic school buildings, with a little creativity, can continue to serve their community for future generations.

AC Hotel Downtown Kansas City

Kansas City, Jackson County
When the original Rialto Building, a five-story structure, was destroyed by fire in 1909, real estate icon Albert Marty prioritized building a new fireproof skyscraper that would be used to house medical professionals. Completed in 1911, the 13-story steel-frame skyscraper featured Commercial-style architecture by renowned architects Smith, Rea, and Lovitt and was constructed by George L. Brown & Son. The building evolved across the next century as various new owners took hold, including a $600,000 restoration in 1984 and extensive modernization in 1994. In 2020, the building’s newest owners began the transformation into a hotel that would preserve the Rialto’s architectural legacy while revitalizing it for contemporary use. The four-year rehabilitation created a 239-room hotel and entertainment venue, which required structural enhancements to accommodate the new use. In addition to the modernization of the building systems, the rehabilitation of the Rialto Building successfully reopened the original lightwell, which was enclosed during prior renovations, to provide light into guestrooms. The historic mosaic tile flooring in the elevator lobbies throughout the building were restored, along with the intricate ornate ceiling work and marble tile in the first floor elevator lobby. Historic elements on the stairs were retained while maintaining code compliance. By honoring its rich history and incorporating modern amenities, this project not only revitalizes a cherished Kansas City landmark but also provides an elevated experience for visitors and the local community.

Festus Red Barn Renovation

Festus, Jefferson County
Built by the Peterein family in 1933, the Red Barn in Festus serves as a reminder of the rural traditions of the area. It historically functioned as a dairy barn, but also hosted frequent concerts and dances as a regular stop on the barn dance circuit. Performances at the Red Barn were broadcast to the KWK radio station in St. Louis. In 1981, the City of Festus purchased the Peterein land for use as a park and continued the Red Barn’s use as a community event space. However, due to increased structural concerns, the city had to cease use and the barn sat vacant for many years. Overwhelming community support prompted the city to take action to repair the barn and using ARPA funding, they were able to address long-standing structural issues, accessibility, and life safety concerns. With the historic character and rustic charm being of major importance to the community, authenticity was a primary concern for the project. A phased master plan was created that would allow the city to achieve its goals within its limited budget, and each phase would help self-fund future projects. The first phase allowed the building to be operational once more. A new corrugated metal roof was installed, and gaps between wall boards were sealed to prevent water infiltration. Because they wanted to preserve as much of the original structure as possible, the plan focused on building around the barn instead of altering the existing structure. A deck was constructed that would extend usable space and allow the addition of a new ADA ramp, creating a universally accessible main entry into the second floor event space. Most original materials were left untouched, but any wood that did need to be removed was salvaged to repair water damaged areas. The project was an immediate success, and residents inquired about events at the Red Barn before work was completed. The project has boosted revenue for the city, and created new opportunities for local businesses. By returning the Red Barn to its original position as a community hub, the City of Festus has gained a new gathering place and kept a marker of regional identity.

Mangrove | A. A. Fischer Home

Saint Louis City
While searching for examples of architect A. A. Fischer’s work for another rehab project being completed by Mangrove in 2018, Karen Bode Baxter and Guy Slay came across the home at 5256 Vernon. Positioned across the street from several of his designs, it was soon discovered that this was the residence A. A. Fischer designed for himself. Less than two months later, the home was devastated by a fire that destroyed the roof and most of the interior. Mangrove immediately went to work to acquire the property. The building’s condition had to be assessed and documented to ensure it was possible to rebuild, and an argument had to be made to the State Historic Preservation Office and National Park Service that the home still retained enough integrity to be a contributing resource in the Mount Cabanne/Raymond Place Historic District, and was therefore eligible to utilize both state and federal historic tax credits. The scope of work was extensive and the team battled not just a fire-ravaged building, but the impact of the COVID shutdown. Much of the interior framing and floor and roof joists had to be replaced, though most of the original layout was kept. The central stairs were rebuilt, carefully matching what remained of the original, and the original interior trim and door designs were replicated throughout. Historic images were used extensively in the repair and reconstruction of exterior elements, like the porch columns, and the roof which was refinished in slate tile. New wood windows, matched to the existing sightlines and measurements of what remained of the original, were installed. The brick and limestone walls were repointed. In 2024, in conjunction with A.A. Fischer’s St. Louis Streetscapes by Nancy Moore Hamilton receiving an Osmund Overby Award, Mangrove arranged for the grandchildren of A. A. Fischer to visit the project as it neared completion. With this successful rehab, the home of A. A. Fischer stands proudly once again at the entry into the neighborhood off of Union. Mangrove would like to dedicate this award to the late David Mastin of St. Louis Design Alliance.