115 BINGHAM RD, COLUMBIA, MO 65203 (MLS# 417971)

Supplements: The Grasslands Subdivision was platted in 1926 from the estate of George Bingham Rollins. This lovely home designed by Harry Satterlee Bill (who was the #2 architect on the Empire State Building) and built in 1939 by Silas Woodson Canada, the last home built in the Grasslands before WWII. At the time, it was the most expensive home built in Columbia, at a cost of $25,000. It was also the first home in Columbia to have central air conditioning. S.W. Canada was Registrar at the University of Missouri from 1919 to 1959. Mr. Canada died in Nov 1986. The home was sold in a closed bid auction in Feb 1987. The current owner was the high bidder and is only the second owner of this amazing home in 84 years. Prior to moving in, the new owners had a number of repairs done to the home - while focusing on maintaining the historical elegance of this home. In 1994, the Seller undertook a significant three-story, 1,500 sq foot addition. The primary focus of the 1994 updates were to enlarge the size of the kitchen, creating a huge combo kitchen / breakfast room space. In addition, the smallest "maid's room" was enlarged to become the new master bedroom suite. The basement was also enlarged to provide more storage space. The windows are original double-hung wood sash windows that include counterbalancing weights on a chain. The location of this elegant 2-story home is one of it's finest features. The yard boasts multiple large shade trees featuring a huge oak on the west side and a lovely patio. The garage which has storage space above is connected to the home by a porte-cochère. History of Missouri ex rel. Gaines v. Canada, 305 U.S. 337 (1938)** In June 1935, the Registrar at the University of Missouri, Silas Woodson Canada, received a request for a catalog from a prospective student in Jefferson City. Within a week, a form letter and a catalog were on their way to Lloyd L. Gaines. Application forms in 1935 did not ask applicants to identify their race. Only when MU received Gaines's transcript from Lincoln did officials realize that Gaines was black. Registrar S. W. Canada was instructed to send Gaines a telegram indicating that his application no longer was considered a routine matter. Subsequently, the Board of Curators resolved that the application of Lloyd L. Gaines be rejected. A petition was filed that contended that the rejection of Gaines "solely on the basis of color was a clear violation of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution." Mr. Canada was named in the lawsuit as the representative for the University because of his position as Registrar. Gaines v. Canada, was a United States Supreme Court decision holding that states which provided a school to white students had to provide in-state education to Black students as well. States could satisfy this requirement by allowing Black and white students to attend the same school or creating a second school for Black students. Missouri complied with the order by setting aside limited funds for the creation of a Black law school at Lincoln University. Lincoln University School of Law was a professional graduate school of Lincoln University (a historically Black university), which operated in St. Louis, Missouri from September 20, 1939, until it closed in 1955. Thurgood Marshall, who argued before the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education and many other cases challenging official discrimination, later called Gaines one of the NAACP's "greatest victories." *Title of Inside Columbia article describing this home, dated April 2007 **Details excepted from articles on the Truman Library website, Wikipedia, and History of University of Missouri Law School Timeline