The U Park East Building, known as the historic McDaniel Building, Springfield, Missouri.Photo byGoogle Maps screenshot.

The historic McDaniel Building at 316 Park Central East in Springfield, Missouri was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on October 22, 2014.

The McDaniel Building isn't 100 years old, but the core of the building was and making it to the NRHP is significant. The architectural style of the building is Modern Movement. The foundation is concrete and the walls are brick and aluminum. The architect of the 1961 remodel was Joe Amsbacher.

The McDaniel Building is a historic commercial building. Today, it's known as The U at Park East, an apartment building of downtown living spaces and notably for off-campus living. Springfield, Missouri is home to several colleges, but one of the major ones is Missouri State University, formerly Southern Missouri State University.

This six-story building was enlarged and reconstructed in 1961. It has buff brick walls and a flat roof. It faces north and is near the Public Square. The core of the building dates back to 1911 and was enlarged and remodeled to its present state. The enlargement consisted of a two-story addition and reconstruction of the front. The lobby contains original terrazzo flooring and marble-clad walls. There is a paved parking lot to the rear.

The McDaniel Building back in the day.Photo byPark East via Facebook.

Backstory

The McDaniel Building is important because of its architecture and is noted as being a "rare intact example of Mid-Century Modernism in Springfield" and "the only example of mid-century curtain wall construction in downtown Springfield." (Source.)

The core of the building was constructed in 1911 for banker, H.B. McDaniel. The building was enhanced in 1961 for the Heer-Andres Investment Company. Dorsey Heer (1902-1964), a civic and business leader in Springfield headed the company. During the 1950s and 1960s, the Heer-Andres Company remodeled other large commercial buildings in Springfield.

This company also redeveloped the historic Woodruff Building and the Heer's Store, the latter is also on the National Register. The McDaniel Building project was the last to be overseen by Dorsey Heer. He passed away in 1964.

Architect Joe Amsbacher designed the work on the McDaniel Building. He was also previously involved with the Woodruff building's rehabilitation. Many of the properties surrounding the Public Square are listed on the National Register as the Springfield Public Square Historic District. The McDaniel Building is outside the boundaries of this district.

Early on, many commercial-type buildings were constructed around the Square. Later, other types of buildings downtown included department stores, office buildings, hotels, and theatres. Most were built east of the Square.

John T. Woodruff, a prominent Springfield businessman at the time, steered the oar on newer office development. He hired architect Frank T. Hunt in 1910 to design the 10-story Woodruff Building and the Frisco Building. At the time, the Woodruff Building was said to be Springfield's first skyscraper.

Seeing the success of both those buildings being occupied upon completion, H.B. McDaniel planned for a multi-tenant commercial building not far from the Woodruff Building.

H.B. and his brother, George, owned the Central National Bank in Springfield in the 1890s. They later formed the Union National Bank in Springfield. It's believed the brothers could have sold that bank which gave H.B. the chance to pursue other opportunities.

It's unknown whether H.B.' s building was officially called the McDaniel Building when it was completed, but by 1920, that's how it was listed in the city directories.

World War II slowed down building projects. By the late 1940s, Springfield was focused on improving its infrastructure. In 1951, the Heer's Department Store was expanded including reconstruction of lower street elevations. The Heer family contributed to the commercial history of Springfield. Dorsey Heer owned the Heer's Department Store.

Dorsey's grandfather and German immigrant, Charles H. Heer (1820-1898), also opened a store in Springfield in 1869. When he formed a corporation in 1882, the Heer's Store was Springfield's largest retail store. Charles was known as a self-made mand and when he retired, he left the company to Francis X. Heer, his youngest son who was also Dorsey's father.

The Heer family had a separate corporation, Heer-Andres Investment Company, that was involved with real estate development and property management. This company was associated with commercial real estate for about 100 years. It was formed in 1905 by Francis X. Heer (1862-1949) and R.A. Andres, and was active until 1994.

After Francis died in 1949, Dorsey Heer steered the company as president. He continued to be active in his family's real estate business. Dorsey also had the following roles:

• President of the Board of Public Utilities and the Downtown Association.
• The first chairman of the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority formed in 1962.
• Worked with the Downtown Association to help fight against the growing competition of suburban shopping centers.

The McDaniel Building was back in operation by early 1962 and continued to be an office building into the early 2000s. It continued to be classified as one of the largest office buildings in the city. It was owned and operated by Heer-Andres until the late 1970s. In 1978, Baird, Kurtz and Dobson, a long-time tenant, purchased the building.

By 2010, the McDaniel Building was vacant. In 2014, a renovated McDaniel Building had residents. The McDaniel Building, or The U, is part of Park East, off-campus living apartments, that also include Sky Eleven, The Sterling, and Cresco.

Visit here for more information about the Downtown Springfield Association.

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