Mid-Town Historic District Driving Tour

The Springfield Landmarks Board proudly presents an auto tour guide of the Mid-Town National Register Historic District. Mid-Town is the largest historic area in Springfield. Located in north central Springfield, Mid Town is primarily comprised of houses constructed between 1870 and 1925. There is a wide range in the size and architectural design of the houses which were built by the upper class, merchants, educators, and working class. Behind the houses there remains a large collection of stables, garages, and other outbuildings. A few churches are scattered in the district and also on the southern edge of the district is Drury College.

The development of the Mid-Town district is directly related to the arrival of the railroad in 1870. The railroad was constructed one mile north of Springfield and a new town, North Springfield, was developed around the railroad. Division Street was the dividing line between
the two towns. North Springfield soon became a thriving and bustling center with the business district along Commercial Street. The two towns settled their differences in 1887 and overwhelmingly voted for consolidation. The Mid-Town District, located between the two rival
towns, was subsequently developed during Springfield's railroad era.

The Mid-Town auto tour begins at the southwest corner of the district which is anchored by Drury College and its landmark Stone Chapel.

1. Stone Chapel
Northeast corner of Benton and Central on Drury College Campus
The Name of the Chapel is derived from its donor, Mrs. Valeria G. Stone of Malden, Massachusetts, whose gift of $50,000 to Drury College allocated $20,000 to the Chapel. The cornerstone of this Gothic Revival Church was laid on November 15, 1880, and work continued until April 25, 1882, when it was ordered stopped for lack of funds. On December 12, 1882, a fire gutted the building. Reconstruction was begun with local contributions and proceeded to completion in 1892. Renovation of the interior was begun in the 1950's and was completed in 1962. The exterior remains as it was completed in 1892. Stone Chapel is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

As you travel north on Benton Avenue along Drury's campus, note the brass cannons mounted on stone bases just north of Stone Chapel. The cannons were erected here in 1905 and 1915 and were used in the Civil War battle of Wilson's Creek. Drury College's Burnham Hall, Pearsons Hall, and Clara Thompson Hall of Music are excellent examples of collegiate buildings in the Gothic style.

Benton Avenue was where the upper class and people of prominence built large architect-designed houses. The Patterson House at 1225 North Benton Avenue is a good example of Colonial Revival architecture c. 1900. The home of Drury College's President, located at 1234 North Benton Avenue, was built c. 1895 and is a fine example of the Queen Anne style. 1322 North Benton Avenue is a Queen Anne style residence built by a Drury College professor c. 1890.

At the corner of Benton and Lynn are three beautiful homes which are good examples of the houses built on Benton Avenue.

2. Kearney House
1351 North Benton
This Italianate home was built by Mayor Atkinson of North Springfield in 1887. The Kearney family purchased the home in 1896 and it remains in their family today. Kearney Street in north Springfield was named for him. The two-story house has a one-story porch with milled columns, panels, and brackets. The main entrance has double doors. There is a large two-story bay on the south side and between the first and second-story windows are vertical and diagonal wood panels.

3. Harwood-Haydon House
1352 North Benton Avenue
This house was built in 1871 for Judge Charles Edward Harwood, a Springfield attorney who was one of the founders of Drury College. This is one of the oldest surviving homes in the Mid-Town District. The two-story house has a one-story porch with Tuscan columns and eave dentils. There are paired brackets on the eaves.

4. Stoughton/Truman House
1414 North Benton Avenue
This Foursquare design has classical details and was built in 1907. The two-story house has a one-story wraparound porch with Ionic columns and dentil eaves. A porte cochere extends across the driveway. The house has one/one sash windows with stone lintels, a raised stone foundation, and a combination hip/gable slate tile roof with terra cotta caps at the ridge lines. The house has been occupied by several prominent families, including General Ralph Truman, a noteworthy military figure and a cousin of President Harry S. Truman, and Thomas J. Carlson, Mayor of Springfield (1987-1993).

Continuing north across Division Street, you pass the site of the Coffey Headley House which was located at the southeast corner of Benton and Locust. This Mid-Town landmark was demolished in 1990. It was a two-story-brick Italianate home built in 1877 by Lafayette and Melissa Headley. He was one of the first railroad officials to live in the Springfield area. John and Ellen Coffey purchased the house in 1901. Mr. Coffey was a roadmaster with the Frisco Railroad.

If you continue north on Benton Avenue to Commercial Street, you will be in the heart of the Commercial Street Historic District. Take some time to visit The Frisco Railroad Museum, 543 East Commercial Street, and to explore the renovated commercial buildings constructed to house the many businesses associated with the railroad and the development of North Springfield and Mid-Town.

Turning left on Locust Street, you will notice the smaller houses. It was common throughout the district for the corner lots to be subdivided and smaller homes to be built on the side streets.

As you travel along Division Street, you are on the street that separated the two towns of Springfield and North Springfield. To serve citizens of both communities, some churches were built on Division Street.

5. St. John's Episcopal Church
515 East Division
This three-bay stone church was constructed in 1886. The entrance displays original double doors of frame and glass. The roof is supported by heavy hammer-beam trusses, and there is a large Gothic style rose window in the gable end of the main facade.

Turning right on Clay and then Calhoun and Summit, you are in a neighborhood built by the working class and developing middle class. Many of these homes were built by people who worked for the railroad, local merchants and manufacturers. 1430 North Clay, 1409 North Summit, 1423 North Summit, and 1424 North Washington are all good examples of worker's cottages built between 1885 and 1910.

The Nichols House at 1423 North Summit is a unique example of two housing styles common at the turn of the century. It was originally built as a one-story Queen Anne Cottage in 1888 by Sylvanus Bunker. The house was purchased by J. C. Nichols, owner of Nichols Feed and Fuel around 1910. Nichols added the second story and remodeled the front porch, giving the house the look of the catalog homes popular at that time period. Note the contrast between the simple cut on the window and corner trim boards of the second floor compared to the fluted trim boards on the first floor.

As you travel south on Washington Avenue, you are again in a neighborhood built by railroad officials, local merchants, and professional people. 1337 North Washington and 1324 North Washington are examples of homes built by merchants around the turn of the century. Hitching posts, carriage steps, and expanses of original brick sidewalk are still visible and help give the Mid-Town district its distinctive character.

6. Bentley House
603 East Calhoun Street
This outstanding example of Queen Anne architecture was built in 1892 for J. F. Bentley, a prominent Springfield businessman and banker and remained in his family until 1964 when it was purchased by Drury College. The house was designed by W. F. Hackney, a well known architect who later designed the Kansas City Public Library. The house has numerous
architectural features including a turret, half-timbering, shingling, milled porch elements, stained and cut glass windows, cut stone, and brick. The house is on the National Register of Historic Places and was the home of the Museum of Ozarks History from 1977 until 1993. Today, it is a private residence.