Columbia in Boone County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Building - 1937
Cornerstones of Columbia
Photographed By Jason Voigt, June 25, 2024
1. Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Building - 1937 Marker
Inscription.
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Building - 1937. Cornerstones of Columbia. This Colonial Revival commercial property at 10 Hitt Street was built in 1935 to house the local Coca Cola bottling plant. Columbia's original Coca Cola franchise was purchased by Ed Roberson in 1932 and moved to this building upon its completion in 1935. , Roberson chose this location at the edge of the business district in order to provide easy access for delivery trucks to downtown businesses. It is most likely that the building's design was influenced by its location. In the 1930s most of the buildings on Hitt Street were residential. The gabled roof and dormers combined with the Colonial Revival stylistic elements of quoins and a corbelled cornice give the building a residential appearance. Roberson's Coca-Cola plant at 10 Hitt Street operated for just over thirty years. In 1966, the facility was moved to a larger location to meet the demands of the operation. In that same year, Kelly Press purchased 10 Hitt Street and operated a printing press in the building until 2005. , In 2005 a group of twelve local individuals formed Hittsville, LLC and purchased the building at 10 Hitt Street to serve as a new location for three local downtown businesses, Ninth Street Video, Uprise Bakery and Ragtag Cinema. The building has also been a primary venue for Columbia's True/False Film Festival. 10 Hitt Street was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. A fourth business, Hitt Records was added in 2013. The building adopted the name of its investors and has been known as Hittsville since these businesses opened at 10 Hitt Street in 2008.
This Colonial Revival commercial property at 10 Hitt Street was built in 1935 to house the local Coca Cola bottling plant. Columbia's original Coca Cola franchise was purchased by Ed Roberson in 1932 and moved to this building upon its completion in 1935.
Roberson chose this location at the edge of the business district in order to provide easy access for delivery trucks to downtown businesses. It is most likely that the building's design was influenced by its location. In the 1930s most of the buildings on Hitt Street were residential. The gabled roof and dormers combined with the Colonial Revival stylistic elements of quoins and a corbelled cornice give the building a residential appearance. Roberson's Coca-Cola plant at 10 Hitt Street operated for just over thirty years. In 1966, the facility was moved to a larger location to meet the demands of the operation. In that same year, Kelly Press purchased 10 Hitt Street and operated a printing press in the building until 2005.
In 2005 a group of twelve local individuals formed Hittsville, LLC and purchased the building at 10 Hitt Street to serve as a new location for three local downtown businesses, Ninth Street Video, Uprise Bakery and Ragtag Cinema. The building has also been a primary venue for Columbia's True/False Film Festival. 10 Hitt Street was entered into
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the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. A fourth business, Hitt Records was added in 2013. The building adopted the name of its investors and has been known as Hittsville since these businesses opened at 10 Hitt Street in 2008.
Erected 2017 by Central Bank of Boone County and the City of Columbia Historic Preservation Commission.
Location. 38° 57.045′ N, 92° 19.526′ W. Marker is in Columbia, Missouri, in Boone County. Marker is on Hitt Street south of East Broadway, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10 Hitt St, Columbia MO 65201, United States of America. Touch for directions.
sectionhead>More about this marker. Marker was dedicated on July 24, 2017.
Regarding Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Building - 1937. According to the book, The Coca-Cola Trail by Larry Jorgensen, this was not the city of Columbia's first bottling plant - as it possibly would date back to 1877. Ed Roberson died in 1975. Columbia Coca-Cola was purchased by Coca-Cola Mid-America of Kansas City. Finally by 2010, it would become part of Coca-Cola Refreshments.
According to a Columbia-Missourian article, the "Cornerstones of Columbia" project was spearheaded by local historian Brent Gardner, whose vision was to put plaques on the city's most important and historical buildings. The Ragtag Cinema and the Blue Note building were the first two honored with a plaque. Gardner hoped that someday there would be a walking tour with markers, but since that time there have been no other "Cornerstone" plaques placed in Columbia.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 28, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 25, 2024, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. This page has been viewed 52 times since then. Photos:1, 2. submitted on June 25, 2024, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.
