What the Business Pros Know

Reflecting on a 75-Year Legacy of Construction and History

October 25, 2024

Vaughn Prost

How do you reflect on a 75-year legacy of construction projects throughout Missouri and beyond? It’s a legacy of projects built by a Prost Team of managers and craftsmen led by my father, Paul Prost, starting in 1949 with his youngest brother, Jay Prost joining in 1951, and myself leading the team since 1993.

The Prost family construction tradition and passion for construction started back in France, eight generations ago and continued in America in 1840 when the Prost family got off the river boat in Perryville, Missouri, with other French settlers.

The Central Missouri Prost family construction tradition starts in 1947 with my dad, Paul Prost in partnership with Roy Handley constructing St. Joseph Home for the Aged in Jefferson City. In the early 1950s, Prost Builders partnered with another large contractor to build the first phase of Helias High School. Later in another partnership, Prost built the circular, six-story Senate parking garage for the Capitol.

In 1963, Prost Builders opened an office in Columbia when Paul Prost moved his family to Columbia and Jay Prost ran the Jefferson City office. Several notable projects in Columbia during the1960s were: Dulaney Hall at Columbia (Christian) College, a Memorial Stadium seating addition, the new Memorial Stadium press box, and the addition to the Columbia Country Club.

In 1970, Prost Builders was awarded the contract to build the St. Joseph Cathedral in Jefferson City. In the mid-70s, the State of Missouri and other organizations saw the need to renovate and restore many historic structures. Prost Builders performed the renovation and restoration of Lohman’s Landing warehouse along the Missouri River at Jefferson Landing. Prost restored the oldest building in Missouri, the Felix Valle home, built in 1818, in St. Genevieve. Other notable historic restoration projects were Bollinger Mill on the White River near Jackson and saving and restoring the Union Covered Bridge near Paris, Missouri, along with numerous renovations and restoration projects on the State Capitol, Supreme Court building and the Governor’s Mansion. Jay’s favorite project was the 1990 renovation and restoration of Samuel Clemens home (Mark Twain’s boyhood home) in Hannibal.

In the 1980s, Prost Builders continued to grow and completed numerous projects for the University of Missouri, the state of Missouri, school districts, and private commercial clients. Paul Prost retired in 1986, and his brother, Jay, took over corporate management of all construction activities.

With Jay’s passing in 1993, I became president of Prost Builders, bringing my structural engineering experience and international construction experience to Prost Builders in 1990 when I rejoined the family construction business.

The first project I did after nine years working to build a new industrial city in Saudi Arabia was the largest project to date for Boone County: the renovation, restoration, and addition to the Boone County Courthouse.

Another notable project in the ‘90s was the renovation and historic restoration of the exterior envelope of MU’s Jesse Hall. That was a two-year project that touched every square foot of the building exterior, roof, and tower.

Starting in the 1990’s, Prost Builders began doing several design-build projects for private and government clients. An early notable project was the design and construction of the Everlast offices, manufacturing, and warehouse facility in Moberly. The 304,000 square foot facility (over seven acres) was the largest building built at one time in Central Missouri. Prost Builders Inc.

continued to grow through the next twenty years due to the professionalism and passion the Prost Team has for delivering high quality projects to a completely satisfied client. Last year our sales were $40 million; this year’s sales will exceed that amount.

Prost Builders Inc is 75-plus years strong, and the team looks forward to many more years serving our construction clients. Give us a call when you are considering your next construction project. Our team is here to give you the best possible professional services and experience.

Vaughn Prost is the owner and president of Prost Builders lnc., a design/build and construction services firm located in Columbia. Vaughn has over forty years of domestic and international design and construction experience as a cost and scheduling engineer, structural engineer, owner’s construction representative, and general contractor.