8th Street, more commonly known as the Avenue of the Columns, is an urban street in downtown Columbia, Missouri. It connects the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...

and Francis Quadrangle to the Boone County Court House and the Columbia City Hall. The avenue has long symbolized "

town and gown Town and gown are two distinct communities of a university town; 'town' being the non-academic population and 'gown' metonymically being the university community, especially in ancient seats of learning such as Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, and St ...

" in this Midwestern college town. Sitting in the center of Francis Quad on the south are the 6 ionic columns of the former

Academic Hall Academic Hall was the original main building of the University of Missouri. It was dedicated in 1843 and destroyed by fire in 1892. Academic Hall's six Ionic columns, today known as The Columns, stand on Francis Quadrangle as the most recogniz ...

, aligned with these on the north are the 4 doric columns of the former Boone County Courthouse. William Jewell, the first mayor of Columbia, is said to be responsible for this decision. The domed

Jesse Hall Jesse Hall is the main administration building for the University of Missouri. Its dome has towered 180 feet above the south end of David R. Francis Quadrangle since its completion in 1895. In the lawn in front of Jesse Hall are The Columns, all ...

and its corinthian columns are also in the alignment. The street is also home to the

Tiger Hotel The Tiger Hotel is a 4-diamond hotel in Columbia, Missouri. Built in 1928, it was converted to a retirement home and banquet center, before being restored and converted back to a boutique hotel in 2012. It was listed on the National Register of ...

, the Guitar Building, and the offices of the '' Columbia Missourian''. Civic planning efforts have focused on in-fill development and beautification. In 2014, it became the center of a controversy over the decision to build single-use student housing despite mixed-use and ground floor retail being the focus of community planning.Opus deadline passes; no legal action yet - Columbia Daily Tribune , Columbia Missouri: Local News
/ref> In 5 blocks, the street crosses three National Register of Historic Places districts.

Gallery

File:Mizzou Jesse Thumb.jpg,

and the columns on Francis Quadrangle File:CoMo city hall front.jpg, Columbia City Hall File:Tiger Hotel - 2013.jpg,

File:Boone County Courthouse in Columbia, Missouri.jpg, Boone County Courthouse File:AvenueOfTheColumns.JPG, Jesse Hall seen from the Avenue of the Columns File:Memorial gateway to Francis Quad University of Missouri.jpg, The Memorial Gateway in September 2017 File:Lathrop bronze at mizzou gateway.jpg, Bronze plaque of John Lathrop first president of the University File:James Rollins bronze at mizzou .jpg, Bronze plaque of James Rollins father the University

References

{{reflist

External links

Downtown Neighborhood page
Streets in Columbia, Missouri University of Missouri