CLINTON, Mo. – The city of Clinton can look forward to a new, but familiar place for community gatherings this fall as Mike and Belinda Meyers purchased the old City Hall building and have big plans to make it into an event space.
Mike and Belinda relocated to Clinton around four years ago and are building their lives in the small town between Springfield and Kansas City. When the Meyers family moved to Clinton, they were looking to create a new function for the community and envisioned a space where they could take their line dancing skills to the limit, among other things.
Now, their plans include renovating the building to be rented out for weddings, receptions, graduation parties and similar community events while line dancing lessons will be given during normal business hours.
Conferences will be downstairs on the main level, while the lounge and grand hall will be upstairs in the primary event area. There are plans for a piano and cigar bar as well, once the restoration gets underway.
The couple is in talks with local businesses to work out a deal to cater events at the center, but once things are in full swing, anyone who rents the building for an event will have the option to bring and cook their own food.
Mike and his wife are cleaning the place up and are currently in the discovery process. The Meyers found that the building not only served as City Hall from 1891 to 1975, but once housed the Clinton Police and Fire Departments as well.
During the process of removing all of the surface structures placed during the original build, the Meyers found an old fire pole encased within the walls, a rein mount for horses and an old jail cell. The couple plans to make the historic jail cell into a photo-op area for visitors.
“It’s just a fascinating structure to see over time as you peel all of those layers away, going back in time. We found old bottles, old newspapers from the 1950s and 1960s that were back behind some of the walls.”
Clinton has an Elks Lodge and small event center on the square, but Mike and Belinda are planning to take things to the next level with their event space.
“It may take a little while but I think it will be worth the wait.”
