As you drive north up Main Street and come toward the intersection of 4th and Main Street, you may find yourself blinking from the sun in your eyes. The sun is there because the tall and towered Keystone Hotel is not. Below is a photograph of the Keystone (which was built prior to the turn of the century – HJ will be writing up a post on the hotel later) from before 1913.
The Keystone Hotel at the busy intersection of 4th and Main Street
And here is today’s occupant of the same bit of earth. We suppose it’s a step up from simply being a parking lot.
The new occupant of the southeast corner at 4th and Main Street
The Keystone Hotel was demolished in the late 1960’s under the “progressive” wave of urban renewal. Joplin has lost too many of its historic buildings to allow anymore to follow a similar path.
