Henry Schneider Building (A.K.A. Monarch Art Factory)

Local entrepreneur Henry Schneider built this historic structure in 1928, shortly after a meeting in Springfield established a plan and designated highway number for what would become the "Mother Road." U.S. Route 66 connected Chicago to Los Angeles through a series of interconnected highways. For decades, the Henry Schneider building functioned as a commercial garage on U.S. Route 66 in Springfield. The building housed automobile-related businesses the entire time Route 66 passed through the city.

The celebrated Route 66, a national highway born in 1926 in Springfield, extended from Chicago to the Los Angeles (L.A.) area. The highway, a series of local roadways (many of which evolved from old Native American trails and paths) connected in stages to form a national highway, was the nation's first entirely paved road of its length. In Springfield, Route 66 followed the path of a path once used by the Osage and Kickapoo nations, and then it later served as a stage line trail. Route 66 evolved into arguably the nation's most iconic roadway, becoming intertwined with the rise of the automobile and its effect on American culture.  

Route 66's appearance in Springfield served as the third significant chapter in the town's transportation history. In the late 1850s, the newly-created Butterfield Stage stagecoach line established a stop in Springfield, which resulted in growth as it connected the community to various towns and regions. After the Civil War, railroad companies built stops and workplaces in Springfield, which spurred population, economic, and commercial expansion. The railroad's significance to Springfield lasted for decades until the automobile slowly grew more popular, culminating in the birth of the now-historic Route 66 highway. The twentieth-century automobile boom included businesses catering to automobile drivers like those who occupied the Henry Schneider building. 

The historic Schneider property sat directly on the new Route 66 when it opened in the late 1920s. However, even before the completion of the highway, confidence in the project and speculation of its significance spurred immense development along the proposed route in Springfield; local banker and clothing retailer Henry Schneider stood as one of those investors. And the building existed only as an investment as he never used it for any of his businesses. 

By 1928, Schneider's building housed a pair of businesses that catered to automobile owners. The drive-in filling station spot was occupied by the Cities Service Oil Company Filling Station (known today as CITGO) while Herrick and Edwards Tires took over the smaller side space. Two years later, in 1930, the business name changed to "Ideal Tire Company." The Herrick family also operated other highway-related enterprises in the neighborhood during Route 66's early days, including the first auto dealership in the city just across the street from the Schneider building; the dealer remained in business until the 1950s. 

The Great Depression arrived in 1930 but did not deter businesses from leasing space in the Schneider building. In 1930, the Monarch Machine Shop, a motor rebuilding enterprise, opened in the rear third of the building; they remained in business in that spot for seventy-five years. Claude German and Morris Mink opened the Main Street Garage around 1933 in the center part of the building. After a few years, Mink left the operation, but German remained associated with the business until it closed in the 1960s. 

Thus, by the late 1930s, as traffic steadily increased along Route 66, the Henry Schneider Building offered automobile travelers a one-stop automotive shopping experience. They could fill their car's tanks and get their vehicles repaired or overhauled. Or, they could walk across the street and buy a new vehicle from the Herrick Car Dealership.

Although Route 66 changed its specific path at times through Springfield, which included splitting into a bypass around the city and a city route through downtown, the automobile businesses at Schneider remained successful. Of course, one should remember that post-depression and post-war economic expansion and a continued increase in automobile ownership also helped the businesses survive, as they served Springfield residents and surrounding communities in addition to those traveling along Route 66. 

From 1935 to 1937, the Ideal Tire Company closed, and the filling station changed owners, possibly in association with the opening of the 1935 Route 66 Bypass. Nevertheless, a new company moved into the space and combined the filling station and tire shop facilities into one space. In 1950, the Capital Glass Company moved into a front section of the Schneider building as a second location for their glass business. It was one of the last automobile-centered businesses to move into the commercial property because the U.S. government began planning for the Interstate Highway System, which more directly affected businesses along Route 66.

In 1956, Missouri began awarding contracts to erect the Missouri portions of the U.S. Interstate system. As builders finished each section of the Interstate (Interstate 44), officials decommissioned coinciding sections of Route 66. When the "Mother Road" was replaced or rerouted away from the centers of towns, many roadside businesses closed. Although the former national highway remained relevant in Springfield for locals and regional travelers, most long-distance drivers preferred the Interstate. So, while the local Steak 'n Shake or Rail Line Motel survived the interstate era, the Schneider building's auto-related businesses struggled to remain in business. In the decades that followed, this building has served a variety of purposes, including leased spaces and one of the locations of the Monarch Art Factory.

Alexander, Kathy. "Springfield, Missouri – Queen City of the Ozarks." Legends of America. October 2024. https://www.legendsofamerica.com/mo-springfield/.

Curtis, C. H. Birthplace of Route 66: Springfield, Mo. Springfield, MO: Curtis Enterprises, 2001.

Green County Historical Society. "A Brief History of Greene County . . ." greencountyhistoricalsociety.com. Accessed March 9, 2024. https://www.greenecountyhistoricalsociety.com/brief-history-of-greene-county.

Klein, Richard. The Evolution of Local Dealerships: The Backbone of the U.S. Automobile Industry: The Backbone of the U.S. Automobile Industry. Cleveland: MSL Academic Endeavors, 2019. E-book version available in full at https://pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu/evolution-of-local-dealerships/.

"Schneider. Henry, Building." National Register of Historic Places. mostateparks.com. 2005. https://mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/Schneider%2C%20Henry%2C%20Bldg.pdf.