Hi, my name is Laurie, and I purchased The Joplin Carnegie Library in February 2025. I had been looking for an older building that I could purchase for a good price and put some sweat equity in - and when I saw this one online, I couldn’t believe it! It was absolutely gorgeous, with stunning architecture and features - and it was absolutely heartbreaking. The building had sat empty for about 20 years and had been broken into, smashed up, spray painted, vandalized, had wiring and plumbing (and more) ripped out; several cases of arson have destroyed the beautiful wood and plaster work. But I could see the beauty and the potential. I really wanted someone to buy her and save her - and that person turned out to be me!

I’ve met with an excellent general contractor, but estimates are north of $1 million dollars - so to get started, I’ve been doing general junk removal, cleanup, site securing, water intrusion work, etc. myself (with help from my dad!). I’ve had lots of people ask, “How can I donate?” and “Where is your GoFundMe?” So here it is! I am very honored and excited to get to work to save one of our National Historic Register buildings, with deep community ties as a former public library. Thank you so much for your support!