Origins of Commercial Street

Commercial Street exists because a railroad went where the old town’s money would not. The Atlantic and Pacific, the first railroad to reach Springfield, arrived in 1870 and laid its tracks a mile north of the established town rather than through it. A district grew up almost overnight around the new depot, and the street that ran past it took a plain, working name: Commercial. To those who saw it, the town seemed to arrive out of nowhere. Writing in 1883, the historian R. I. Holcombe recorded how it rose, and who to thank, or blame, for it.

The town of North Springfield dates its existence from the completion of the Atlantic and Pacific railroad to the present site of the town. But for the stinginess and selfishness of some of the moneyed men of old Springfield, the busy town of North Springfield, with all of its importance, would never have existed.

R. I. Holcombe Source: R. I. Holcombe, History of Greene County, Missouri, 1883

Holcombe’s charge points to a standoff over the depot. Robberson and Boyd had bought the land inside old Springfield best suited for depot grounds, and when the railroad came to negotiate, the old town’s moneyed men refused to pay their price, certain the depot would be built there regardless. Instead, Robberson and Boyd offered the railroad a half interest in a tract to the north. The company accepted, and the depot, and the town, went north.

In the early spring of 1870 a town was laid out adjoining the city of Springfield on the north, and North Springfield sprang into existence as if by magic. The first building erected was the small frame building erected by the company, and used for some time as a real estate office, at the corner of Jefferson and Commercial streets. The next was the residence and store of J. J. Barnard, who opened the first stock of groceries and provisions. Next came Mr. Payton's residence and Dr. Hansford's drug store.

R. I. Holcombe Source: R. I. Holcombe, History of Greene County, Missouri, 1883

The street earned a colorful reputation quickly. After 1870, Springfield businesses moved north to be near the railroad, and bars, hotels, and restaurants opened to serve rail crews, residents, and travelers passing through. It became a place people went for good food and music. When the two towns merged in 1887, Commercial Street was already leading Springfield’s growth, and it remained the city’s hub of industry and entertainment into the 1960s.

As rail travel declined, the street declined with it, and Springfield’s growth shifted south. Renewal came slowly. By the early 1970s the Commercial Club, founded in 1928 to promote the Commercial Street area, had revived interest in restoring the district. Commercial Street was named a local historic district in 1978 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Through the 1980s and 1990s the street was known for its social services, many of which have since moved closer to downtown Springfield.

Today Commercial Street is thriving again. Its historic storefronts hold lofts, shops, restaurants, galleries, and a full calendar of events, and the district is home to a community of artists, professionals, craftspeople, teachers, and students.

"'Tis the sound of the tread of the ages, the noise of the footfall of destiny as it grandly marches onward."

Ex-Governor Fletcher Recorded in George S. Escott, History and Directory of Springfield and North Springfield, 1878