The lead and zinc boom of the 1890s and early 1900s left Joplin with a downtown that still shows its ambitions. The commercial buildings along Main Street and Fourth Street are solid, ornate affairs — brick facades with terra cotta detailing, corner towers, and the kind of wide-windowed shopfronts that speak of a city that expected to grow. The Joplin Downtown Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, covering several blocks of this mining-era commercial architecture.
The Connor Hotel building at 324 Main Street is the most prominent survivor: a beaux arts landmark built in 1908 that hosted presidents, celebrities, and in 1933, briefly, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. The building has been repurposed over the years but the exterior remains largely intact. Walking the district takes an hour, and several of the ground-floor spaces are now bars, coffee shops, and local businesses.