What's Going Up

What’s Going Up? Guitar Building and new Burrell treatment center

May 12, 2025

Jodie Jackson Jr.

Long-delayed work to replace the decorative parapet wall on the upper edge of the historic downtown Guitar Building at 28 N. Eighth St. and renovation of the former Rainbow House children’s emergency shelter on Towne Drive are among the projects listed on building permits that the Columbia Building and Site Development Office issued in March.

The city’s building permit report listed 110 projects with a combined valuation of $27,259,495 for March 2025. Boone County’s Resource Management Department issued eighty permits with an aggregate value of $11,322,117. Combined, the reports total 190 permits and a cumulative valuation of $38,581,612.

New single-family homes (sixty permits) accounted for just over $24 million (62 percent) of the building permit total, meaning the average cost of new homes approved for construction in March was right at $400,000.

In Columbia, the parapet wall on the Guitar Building and a portion of the structure facing Walnut and Eighth streets has been in disrepair since a partial collapse of the parapet in December 2022. Additional structural issues have occurred since then and temporary, protective canopies, along with sidewalk closures, have shielded pedestrians from restoration work.

The Guitar Building was constructed in 1910 by J.H and E.H. Guitar. Just to the south on the west side of Eighth Street is the east side of City Hall and a parking garage, covering what was once Guitar Street.

The repairs are being completed by Professional Contractors and Engineers. The permit lists a valuation of $782,753 for the 6,000-square-foot project.

Meanwhile, work is underway at 1611 Towne Drive, which previously housed the Rainbow House children’s emergency shelter. Burrell Behavioral Health has contracted Reinhardt Construction LLC to renovate the building for an outpatient clinic and residential treatment.

The project entails 17,506 square feet and has a valuation of $500,000.

The Rainbow House emergency shelter unexpectedly shuttered its doors in September 2024 after providing thousands of children with a temporary home and safe shelter for nearly four decades.

The city’s March 2025 building permit report breakdown shows:

Addition (residential): 1 permit, $50,211 valuation.

Alteration (commercial): 10 permits, $4.51 million.

Alteration (residential): 16 permits, $603,440.

Pool (1 & 2 family): 1 permit, $31,128.

Commercial infill: 2 permits, $126,521.

Commercial new: 3 permits, $2.70 million.

Deck only: 3 permits, $55,116.

Duplex: 6 permits, $1.53 million.

Re-roof: 25 permits, $887,874.

Residential demo: 2 permits, zero valuation.

Single family detached (waived fees): 1 permit, $249,511.

Single family detached: 37 permits, $15.81 million.

Solar photovoltaic system: 1 permit, $77,777.

Townhouse: 2 permits, $629,836.

Other highlights of the report included:

Townhouses in the Vintage Falls development at 4121 and 41176 Umbria Court, valued at $314,442 and $315,394, respectively. The builder is Beacon Street Homes.

A pair of duplexes in the Douglas Subdivision at 508 High Street, both valued at $330,053. The builder is The Foundation Custom Homes LLC.

New commercial construction at 4701 Ballard Road for a shell building encompassing 23,6811 square feet and valued at $2.37 million. Anderson Homes in the builder. The permit did not list potential business or retail tenants. The site is located in the Ewing Industrial Park area in northeast Columbia. Bollard Road will extend north of Stephens Station Road and Brown Station Road.

Old Hawthorne has two projects in the works. The first is a 1,160-square-foot convenience store for use at the existing club property; the building is an accessory to the clubhouse. The permit listed a valuation of $150,046. The second project is construction of a hitting bay building, which will be an accessory to the clubhouse and convenience store. The hitting bay will encompass 875 square feet and has a valuation of $177,485.

Commercial infill at 4215 Philips Farm Road, Suite 117. Discovery Development LLC is the builder. The project includes 1,800 square feet and has a valuation of $76,521. The tenant infill and interior improvements are being done for a previously unoccupied space.

Scooter’s Coffee and a new drive through coffee kiosk building are in the works for 1205 Grindstone Parkway Suite 109. The building permit lists a valuation of $311,440 for the 4,000-square-foot project. The builder is Core States Construction Services.

Fuji Japanese Steakhouse is coming to 1000 I-70 Drive SW. The location was the former home of the Hungry Crab seafood restaurant that closed in 2024. The permit for commercial alteration simply lists “interior renovation to existing restaurant,” and does not provide additional details. The restaurant is 5,139 square feet and the alterations value is listed at $350,000.

Additional tenant improvements for the new Trader Joe’s store at 201 N. Stadium are covered with a permit for the 11,096 square foot, $1.8 million permit. Oakline Construction Group LLC is the contractor.

An interior buildout of a vacant tenant suite is planned for a new hair salon at 1413 Grindstone Plaza Drive, Suite 113. The project valuation is $175,000. Nick Timberlake is the contractor.

The top-dollar single-family homes getting building permits in March include: