The Old Glass Place has stood in Springfield since 1914
SPRINGFIELD, MO. – On a stifling June summer morning, a table full of patrons, each with a vested interest in the past, present, and future of The Old Glass Place, located in downtown Springfield, Mo., came together to discuss the building’s unique history.
This popular historic downtown treasure, located at 521 E. St. Louis Street in Springfield, Mo., has stood for over a century, witnessing some of the changes in the downtown progression of the city of Springfield.
The origins of the structure trace back to 1914.
“Everything downtown at that time was related to auto sales and vehicle parts,” said Al Miller, former owner. This historic building once housed a car dealership in the 1920s and 1930s, as well as a large garage for vehicle repairs, according to Al, and Roger Malarkey, former ownership/management team.
A few years later, in the 1940s and 50s, the building was transformed to a Pepsi Cola Bottling Company. In 1955, it was further transitioned to a community glass company.
“Anyone in the glass business, no doubt, started here,” said Al explained. Due to the infamous housing of the glass company, the building’s current name was born. The Old Glass Place is known as: “The place for special events,” said Rebekah Shockey, current manager and event coordinator.
This building is chalked full of Ozarks history. The very glass cut for the Hammons Tower was procured in the facility when it served as a glass business. The modern-day “coffee room” overlooking St. Louis Street and the Discovery Center across, is a large corner meeting space, outlined with left-over glass from the infamous Battlefield Mall construction several decades ago. While the basement is now used as storage, just outside the entrance from the basement door and window, there is a space that was once used as a coal shoot.
The latest, and possibly most extensive remodel, when Al and Roger acquired the space, took around 18 months. Al purchased the property in 2012 from the prior glass company, which closed in November 2012. When they took over the ownership, Al and Roger remodeled the entire building, with a dream of hosting community events in the 417 area. All noted that 40 concrete trucks were utilized, and $40,000 was spent, “and that was when concrete was cheap,” he added. The duo attempted to maintain the building’s original character and fell in love with the exposed brick. High pressure power washing was required to cleanse the years of automotive exhaust, soda production, and glass-making services housed in the building. Once the renovation was complete, Al and Rogers officially opened The Old Glass Place as an event venue in 2014.
After the renovation, sat a large empty building. Al and Roger had dreams of filling the vast space with entertainers putting on private shows, politicians fanning their campaigns, local community events, and personal celebrations and lifetime achievements. A few of the noteworthy performances mentioned during the time Miller and Malarkey ran The Old Glass Place included: Andy Grammar, AJR, known for popular songs, ‘I’m Ready’ and ‘Bang, Bang, Bang’, Erin Carter, and Ingrid Michaelson, singer and performer. Al noted that Bill Clinton (when Hillary Clinton was campaigning for President prior to the 2020 election), requested the space for a campaign event. Unfortunately, it was a very 11th-hour request and Clinton could not be accommodated.
Harry S. Truman happened to preside at a function at the Shrine Mosque, just across the street and two doors down from The Old Glass Place, when he received the tragic news that Winston Churchill had passed away. President Truman accepted the phone call, relaying the details of Winston’s death, at The Old Glass Place, marking one of many monumentally historical moments in time.
“Everyone that walked through the door had a story about this place,” Al said. He went on to recount an event where he met an older gentleman claiming he had been in the building as a young boy, as his father owned the Pepsi Cola Bottling Company. The man was in his 80s, and wasted no time in calling his surviving siblings to reminisce over the years they played as kids on the premises of their father’s local business.
A KTTS Christmas party inadvertently turned to a holiday-themed jam session when Jimmy Davis and two other musicians showed up to practice for an upcoming concert. Al can recall the KTTS employees sitting in a circle, enjoying the live country music.
The property changed hands in February 2023. 521 Properties LLC, affiliate of the MSU Foundation, purchased the facility and hired 425 Downtown LLC to take over the event management of The Old Glass Place.
The events housed at the popular community venue have remained similar with weddings, proms, class reunions, celebrations of life and other local events. With the university now directly involved, the space is host to many MSU black-tie events, fund-raisers, celebrations, and alumni parties.
The historic building has hosted some very unique weddings. One noted by Miller and Malarkey was a Halloween-inspired wedding with a bloody cake, gory decorations and vampire(ish)-looking groomsmen and guests. The venue once hosted a Chinese-inspired wedding, which illuminated the banquet hall with1,000 hanging lanterns. A Indian wedding notably displayed a vibrantly colorful array of table settings and attire for not only the wedding party, but all guests and the venue employees that worked that particular celebration.
425 Downtown LLC, by way of Rebekah Shockey, runs the event calendar, makes reservations, handles catering and special requests, and offers the option of a full-service bar for each unique event. The space can comfortably hold 300 seated patrons or 500, if standing is an option. The main floor is 12,000 square feet on one level, allowing for accessibility to all honored guests. While there were originally several skylights intact, only one has survived the many hands of ownership and renovations over the years. There was once a balustrade walkway from one area of the building to the other. Unfortunately, this was taken out during one of the many rounds of renovations.
The Edgar Alan Poe Speakeasy performance will be conducted in later this summer. The popular Route 66 Festival, open to the public, is a large undertaking at The Old Glass Place, going on 10 years of hosting. The venue offers respite to anyone at the festival, as well as vendor booths, historians, authors selling books in relation to the historic Route 66, and complete with full bar service. This event takes place August 9-10. More information can be found at the Bureau of Tourism. The Maroon Saloon, a noteworthy MSU event, will take place the first weekend of October 2024.
The future hope for The Old Glass Place is to see it continue to grow, hosting the local community and boasting noteworthy events. The current management, as well as the past owners, enjoy the current partnership with Missouri State University. “This venue is a great asset to Missouri State University”, said Stephanie M. Smith, System Representative of the Missouri State University Foundation and current owner, 521 Properties LLC. Now that the MSU Foundation owns the property, the partnership is even more accessible and invites/hosts some truly historic large-scale events.
