Globe Opinion on Downtown Works for Neosho, Too.

Below is an opinion article – I suppose from the editorial staff at the Joplin Globe.  They are commenting on the revitalization efforts for Joplin’s downtown area.  If you haven’t been downtown lately, it’s worth the trip.  And it goes to show you that a revitalized downtown, even if it’s different than 50 years ago, is still a good thing for a community.

Our view: New face, new life

The Joplin Globe Mon Feb 28, 2011, 07:35 AM CST

Downtown Joplin is getting a new face and a new life.

Just consider what has been happening to what was once the major business district of the city.

There is a lot of activity with the partnership of public and private investment tied to a “buy-in” of a back-to-the-past theme by building owners and tenants.

That represents a shift of momentum from the 1960s and 1970s when the birth of shopping centers and malls seemed to be the only game in town. We think there’s room and a big need for both.

The staple of the “new look” downtown has been the transformation of the former Newman’s Building on the southwest corner of Sixth and Main streets into a City Hall. Just across the street, apartments can be found in the former Frisco Building, which once housed a train depot, medical offices and businesses.

While the hustle and bustle that once was prevalent along Main Street during the 1940s and 1950s may never be recaptured, downtown Joplin is reclaiming its place as a viable economic entity. All that was needed was proper packaging.

Time can’t be rolled back. The thousands of shoppers who daily flocked downtown in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s may never return in such numbers. But it is obvious that the old business district still has life and can generate economic excitement and dollars for Joplin.