Tribute to the Kirksville Arts Center

On Friday, December 2nd, 2016, there was a fire at the Kirksville Arts Center. A lot of our visual inspiration came from this building. While the building still stands, the roof has caved in, and some of the precious art pieces that were inside were destroyed. Luckily, the murals and mosaics are still in tact. It is unclear as of now how the fire was started, but all that matters is that everyone got out okay. There were no reported injuries or deaths.

Watching the emergency service vehicles drive by was both frightening and reassuring. Real community comes from the people, and there were plenty of people around to help control the fire, help others make it out, make sure the public was safe, and keep everyone informed. This event, despite its tragedy, glorified the caring nature of the citizens of Kirksville.

People in the Kirksville community were upset about the historic significance of this building being tarnished by the fire. I spoke with one Kirksville resident about the fire, and he gave me a little background information. The Kirksville Arts Center, long before getting that name, was fist built in the early 1900s. Before the building went up, it was farmland. The owner simply moved his plantation over slightly to build what we now know as the Arts Center. Originally, the bottom floor was for shops, the middle floor was for health services, and the top floor was for apartments. Decades later, the building was bought out by another family, and they added the elevator to the building.

The Kirksville Arts Center, although damaged, is still an icon of beauty and architectural wonder. The building still stands tall, reminding us that no matter what we have gone through, our beauty cannot be taken away from us. We hope to see a speedy repair to this astonishing sight.