Excelsior Springs Hall of Waters Commercial East Historic District - Excelsior Springs, Missouri - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The Excelsior Springs Hall of Waters Commercial East Historic District contains thirty (30) resources. There are twenty-eight (28) buildings and two (2) structures. Of the total number of resources, twenty-six (26) are counted as contributing, three (3) are non-contributing, and one (1) was previously listed in the National Register. The construction dates of the contributing properties range from c. 1881 to c. 1948 while the dates of the non-contributing properties range from c. 1905-1908. Although alterations to the storefronts of the contributing buildings have occurred within the district, overall the area maintains its integrity of design, setting, materials, workmanship and location.

Located in Clay County, approximately thirty-three miles northeast of Kansas City, The Excelsior Springs Hall of Waters Commercial East Historic District includes the Original Town plat of Excelsior Springs and serves as the city's downtown area. It retains much the same compactness today that it did hi the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The district has a long history as a commercial center and the buildings that survive reflect that use today. The focal point of the district is the Art Deco Hall of Waters, individually listed hi the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The district consists of three full blocks of commercial buildings and portions of two additional city blocks. The district boundaries are somewhat irregular and hi most instances are defined by the depth of one building. The northern boundary of the district generally lies to the north of Broadway, taking in two properties on N. Main Street, just north of Broadway and south of E. Excelsior Street. The southern boundary encompasses the southern boundary line of those properties on the south side of Broadway, to the rear of the Hall of Waters, west to Main Street. The eastern boundary is defined by Perm Street, while the west boundary is generally defined by property lines in the 100 block of West Broadway.

Of the total number of resources included in the district, two were constructed between c. 1881-1900, twenty were built between c. 1900-1909, five between c. 1909-1922 and two between 1936-1948. One building. The Hall of Waters, was constructed 1935-1937. The majority of the properties are commercial in nature and are constructed of brick With stone detailing; a significant number feature brick corbeling, prominent storefront fenestration and are one to three stories in height with flat, parapeted roofs. In terms of style, the vast majority of these buildings are designed in various vernacular interpretations, although there are a few that feature ornamental cornice style, the vast majority of these buildings are designed in various vernacular interpretations, although there are a few that feature ornamental cornice detailing that reflect secondary influences such as Victorian Eclectic. There are two predominate sub-types of commercial structures in the district: the two-story Victorian era building and the one-part commercial block. The Victorian Commercial buildings generally display a decorative treatment of the cornice line while the one-part commercial block structures are one-story without embellishment. Among the remaining contributing buildings, the following styles are exhibited: Neo-Classical Revival, and Art Deco.