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Columbia Missouri Downtown Walking Tour
Item 8 of 18
This historic Missouri building was constructed in 1927 and expanded in 1940. The building features a terra cotta facade that includes the name of Central Dairy which occupied the structure until 1959. Dot Sappington and Clyde Shepard began the dairy in 1920 and commissioned the Kansas City-based architectural firm of Shepard and Wiser to build this building for their dairy after they outgrew two previous rented buildings. The company produced and distributed ice cream from this location with a fleet of trucks and deliverymen. Central Dairy was the largest dairy in the region and the business was sold in 1959 to Meadow Gold Dairy. Two years later, Downtown Appliance acquired the building.

Central Dairy circa 1950. Photo from the Missouri State Historical Society

Central Dairy circa 1950. Photo from the Missouri State Historical Society
Central Dairy Building. National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. . Accessed June 08, 2019. https://dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/04001519.pdf.