Missouri Association of Counties looks for new office after tornado decimated downtown building

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Association of Counties (MAC) needs new office space — at least temporarily — after last month’s EF-3 tornado tore through the capital city.

The association’s historic building at 516 East Capitol Avenue was destroyed in the tornado, the roof ripped away, windows shattered, and a white-columned front porch vanished. With the building too structurally unsound to cover with a tarp immediately after the storm, almost everything inside has been lost or destroyed as well.

MAC Executive Director Dick Burke said the insurance company has already declared the building a “total loss.” But still, the association has hired a structural engineer to determine if there’s any hope of rebuilding where the three-story brick office once stood tall.

Recognized as a historic Jefferson City landmark, the office was built just blocks from the Capitol in the 1870s by a prominent physician who worked at the now-defunct state prison down the street. MAC has occupied the building since 1990.

Read more: https://themissouritimes.com/62467/missouri-association-of-counties-looks-for-new-office-after-tornado-decimated-downtown-building/