National Register of Historic Places

Lawler Motor Company Building

St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri
Listed
January 8, 2009
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
08001285

About this property

Lawler Motor Company Building, also known as the Farmer Automobile Company Building, is a historic commercial building located at St. Joseph, Missouri. It was built in 1913, and is a two-story, trapezoidal shaped small-scale brick commercial building. It was designed as an automobile showroom and service center, with a second-story apartment. The building housed a Ford dealership from 1917 to 1928. Michael Patrick Lawler (1884-1957) was the founder and owner of the Lawler Motor Company. Up until 1928 Lawler sold only Fords and was golfing buddies with Henry Ford. During one such golf game, Henry Ford asked Lawler if he would help pitch the local city council for approval to build a new Ford assembly plant in St. Joe. When Lawler asked the council they turned the request down saying "St. Joe is an ag town, not an industrial town" which is why the assembly plant was built in Kansas City instead. Sometime thereafter, Lawler moved the dealership to Kansas City and expanded the line to include Nash as well as Ford autos. Eventually the Lawler Motor Company building fell into disrepair until it was purchased and renovated by the owners of River Bluff Brewing Company. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

Location

1224 Frederick Ave.
St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri
39.77225, -94.84458

Categories

ARCHITECTURECOMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Ryan Block
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0.1 mi
Museum Hill Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed
0.2 mi
Kelley and Browne Flats
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0.2 mi
Cathedral Hill Historic District
Colonial
0.2 mi
Christian Sachau Saloon
Industrial
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Lawler Motor Company Building listed on the National Register?

Lawler Motor Company Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 8, 2009.

What type of historic resource is Lawler Motor Company Building?

Lawler Motor Company Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Lawler Motor Company Building?

The period of significance for Lawler Motor Company Building is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Lawler Motor Company Building?

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