Sedalia Commercial Historic District - Sedalia, Missouri - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The Sedalia Commercial Historic District includes 93 buildings, 68 of which contribute to the historic and architectural character of the district. Two additional buildings, the Bothwell Hotel, 103 East Fourth Street, and the Missouri Trust Company Building, 322 South Ohio Avenue, have already been listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places, and are therefore not reflected in the building counts. The boundaries of the historic district encompass the heart of the commercial core of Sedalia as a booming railroad town which continued to thrive for over seventy years. The historic development of the commercial core is evident from the street patterns, including a span of six blocks along South Ohio Avenue where the historic buildings frame a unique street angle, lending an unusual character to this main commercial thoroughfare. All of the buildings in the historic district are commercial, except 117 West Fourth Street, the First United Methodist Church. Only one of the 26 non-contributing buildings is modern. The distinction between contributing and non-contributing buildings was judged by the integrity of the exterior of the upper stories, as storefront alterations of some degree are somewhat inherent to commercial buildings. Many of the buildings classified as non-contributing are sheathed with modern aluminum or enameled panels on the upper stories. The removal of this sheathing would likely reveal historic facades, allowing these buildings to change to contributing status within the historic district.

In a few cases, the historic fabric of a building may been seen through portions of the modern sheathing. Despite the later cladding on some of these buildings, the facade proportions, and rhythm and shape of the building units, remains historic. The contributing buildings range in date from c. 1870 to c. 1936. While alterations have occurred within the historic district, overall the district maintains its integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association.