Need information on my new discovery.

Urban exploration in Springfield, Missouri
paul06660
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Need information on my new discovery.

Post by paul06660 »

Last night, I finally scouted a unique abandoned property I found overlooking the James River at these coordinates:
37° 5'43.56"N and 93°21'16.92"W

This property is accessible from a small road that connects to Farm Road 131, with the Rivercut development running parallel to one side, and what appears as a small, stream fed pond on the other. At the end of the road, there is one main structure with a large porch overlooking the 100+ foot high bluff, a gazebo, benches, one small utility building and what appears as an overgrown office building. There also appears to be the foundation of one, possibly two other structures that were either destroyed by a tornado or never completed. I was wondering if anyone could tell me the history of this property, which seems like it would be highly valuable real estate, yet left in such a nasty state of disrepair? Sorry for not taking pix, but with the proximity of Rivercut, I did not want my flash seen from the houses next door.
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jammer_smith
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Re: Need information on my new discovery.

Post by jammer_smith »

I've been out there. You can tell it was a gorgeous and really snazzy place at one point. I kinda suspect it was a park or country club type thing rather than a home.

A bit further back behind the property, you can see it on Googlemaps, is Indian Spring which is a really pretty little park looking area that you can tell has been defunct for a long time but is still at least mowed and partially upkept by someone. There are no tresspassing and "warning you're on camera" signs all over the place.

I don't know the history, but based on context clues I am going to say that at one point that property served as a private park or country club type thing, with picnics and maybe trout fishing down at the spring, and a club house/gazebo up on top of the bluff overlooking the rive, maybe even a wedding venue? But the property was bought by the Rivercut development project probably with the general idea of restoring for a similar use as it was before, but that the housing crisis hit and that plan was placed on an indefinite backburner, so they still mow and maintain the property, but are doing nothing with it.


That's my guess.

But yeah, the view from that bluff is stunning, and the fact that some wealthy fat-cat doesn't have a house right there is shocking.
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lolabelle
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Re: Need information on my new discovery.

Post by lolabelle »

i hear there are some goats that hang out around there, laying on decks that overhang the river
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Nicotti
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Re: Need information on my new discovery.

Post by Nicotti »

Assessor's page say it's owned by Lawrence Muller, possibly the one mentioned in this article?

Property doesn't seem to be worth much, about $57k for 49.62 acres.
More online investigation than onsite exploration these days.

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Re: Need information on my new discovery.

Post by jammer_smith »

Seems cheap for river front property with natural spring and adjacent country club.
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Re: Need information on my new discovery.

Post by jammer_smith »

Seems cheap for river front property with natural spring and adjacent country club.
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Nicotti
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Re: Need information on my new discovery.

Post by Nicotti »

You can say that again.

:wink:
More online investigation than onsite exploration these days.

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“That’s not the point. The point is, who will stop me?”
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jammer_smith
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Re: Need information on my new discovery.

Post by jammer_smith »

Seems cheap for river front property with natural spring and adjacent country club.
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lolabelle
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Re: Need information on my new discovery.

Post by lolabelle »

Nicotti wrote:Assessor's page say it's owned by Lawrence Muller, possibly the one mentioned in this article?

Property doesn't seem to be worth much, about $57k for 49.62 acres.
Ever go to The Mill, the bar north of the zoo. It's awesome, and rumor is the building is the old Mueller family hunting lodge.
paul06660
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Re: Need information on my new discovery.

Post by paul06660 »

jammer_smith wrote:I've been out there. You can tell it was a gorgeous and really snazzy place at one point. I kinda suspect it was a park or country club type thing rather than a home.

A bit further back behind the property, you can see it on Googlemaps, is Indian Spring which is a really pretty little park looking area that you can tell has been defunct for a long time but is still at least mowed and partially upkept by someone. There are no tresspassing and "warning you're on camera" signs all over the place.

I don't know the history, but based on context clues I am going to say that at one point that property served as a private park or country club type thing, with picnics and maybe trout fishing down at the spring, and a club house/gazebo up on top of the bluff overlooking the rive, maybe even a wedding venue? But the property was bought by the Rivercut development project probably with the general idea of restoring for a similar use as it was before, but that the housing crisis hit and that plan was placed on an indefinite backburner, so they still mow and maintain the property, but are doing nothing with it.


That's my guess.

But yeah, the view from that bluff is stunning, and the fact that some wealthy fat-cat doesn't have a house right there is shocking.
I was thinking the same thing, mostly because there are no houses on the property, and the building looks like a type of clubhouse overlooking the bluff. I pulled up some historical imagery on google earth going back to 1990, and it even kind of looks abandoned then. I would love the chance at buying it and fixing it up as a business designed as a type of local getaway resort. The woods are also extremely beautiful and I was even able to drive the car all the way up to the property.
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Re: Need information on my new discovery.

Post by jammer_smith »

I think you would get the most money out of the property as a kind of venue to be rented. The park/spring area could be rented to summer camps or church groups or whatever for pick nicks and out door events, and a nice club house over looking the bluff would make for good dinners/meetings/seminars/weddings. If you maintained a nice gazebo and and some pretty trellises with roses and flowering vines down in the park/spring area, that would make a nice wedding venue as well.
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paul06660
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Re: Need information on my new discovery.

Post by paul06660 »

jammer_smith wrote:I think you would get the most money out of the property as a kind of venue to be rented. The park/spring area could be rented to summer camps or church groups or whatever for pick nicks and out door events, and a nice club house over looking the bluff would make for good dinners/meetings/seminars/weddings. If you maintained a nice gazebo and and some pretty trellises with roses and flowering vines down in the park/spring area, that would make a nice wedding venue as well.
That is an awesome idea. I would maybe go so far to have some other amenities on site, like a professional photographer, clubhouse, men and women's lounges, etc. Just as long as it did not involve tearing up the nice trees already growing there.
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Kit
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RE: Need information on my new discovery.

Post by Kit »

Its cheap because a flood plain runs right down the middle of it and you cant build houses that are going to sell in a flood plain. Last house I worked with that had part of the yard in a flood plain had to pay over 2,000 a year for lender required flood insurance.
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Nicotti
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Re: Need information on my new discovery.

Post by Nicotti »

Where's the flood plain run through? Along the stream? Cause most of the property near the river looks to be on a bluff.
More online investigation than onsite exploration these days.

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Kit
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RE: Need information on my new discovery.

Post by Kit »

see pic
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