Yes, another before and after photograph! (There will be written content again – we promise!)
In this example, we have the home of August Michaelis. Michaelis, who deserves and will get his own post, is responsible for many of Joplin’s beautiful buildings, such as the Carnegie Public Library and Memorial Hall. He also designed the Miners’ Bank Building (which is no longer with us). For coverage of the library, see here and here. For coverage of Miners’ Bank, see here. Needless to say, there are only a few other architects who can claim to have left such a stamp on the legacy of Joplin’s architecture.
The home of an architect, it obviously was designed with care and consideration. At the moment, it is in the process of wasting away and currently for sale, and thus at risk of being bought and bull dozed. Below are two photographs that show the past of a home more than a century old and its present state.
August Michaelis' home about 1902. Note the lack of the business development that eventually would surround it.
And now the present state of the Michaelis home.
August Michaelis' home today and in need of preservation.
I really enjoyed this post. It’s interesting to compare the two photos. It looks like the house has lost its chimney (perhaps to dividing up the house into apartments?). The porte-cochère looks like it has lost one of its ornamental stone bases. It would be interesting to see the color of the original brick and stone work of the home that’s hidden underneath all that white paint. Still, it’s not hard to imagine Mr. Michaelis striding up the front walk and up the steps into his home.