Butler in Bates County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Palace Office Building
The Palace Hotel Building was built in 1879 as part of the rebuilding of Butler after it was burned during the Civil War. It is a good example of high style Italianate architecture with elaborate bracketed cornice. It originally had an exterior second story balcony but it collapsed in the early 1900's. The building was constructed for retail business on the first floor, a hotel on the second floor, and a spacious place for entertaining on the third floor. This became the commercial and social center of the city.
The first floor originally housed M.S. Cowles Clothing, then the American Clothing House, and finally J. C. Penny's [sic - Penney]. The second floor was a luxury hotel for many years and later became office space. The third floor was a banquet and ballroom space for the regions [sic - region's] elite and was taken over by the Elks in 1906. The stair from the second to the third floor and much of the interior wood trim is original. The building continued to operate as a commercial endeavor until the current renovation was undertaken.
National Register of Historic Places 2002
Vaughn X. Prost, developer and builder, purchased the property in 2001 with a vision to restore the historic hotel into class "A" office space. Prost Builders of Jefferson City, Missouri, the design builder, completed the historic restoration and renovation in 2003.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1879.
Location. 38° 15.515′ N, 94° 19.916′ W. Marker is in Butler, Missouri, in Bates County. Marker is at the intersection of Ohio Street and Main Street, on the right when traveling west on Ohio Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2 West Ohio Street, Butler MO 64730, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Eugene S. Hurt Chapter 67 D.A.V. Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); “First Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry” (within shouting distance of this marker); Order No. 11 (within shouting distance of this marker); Bates County World War I Memorial (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Butler History Murals (about 600 feet away); North Field (approx. 0.4 miles away); Replica of the Statue of Liberty (approx. half a mile away); David Clayton Wolfe (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Butler.
Also see . . . History of Bates County MO. County website entry (Submitted on January 24, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on April 22, 2022. It was originally submitted on January 24, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 803 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 24, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.