Jan. 13, 2025
Demolition of fourth floor, site of CFO’s future offices, now underway
Project manager J.E. Dunn and its subcontractors began demolition work in early January. The entire fourth floor of 300 South Jefferson will be gutted prior to infill work for the CFO’s new headquarters.
Dust motes catch the January sunlight and drift on the fourth floor of 300 S. Jefferson Ave., as a crew of subcontractors use mallets and reciprocating saws to demolish walls. “This part’s kind of fun,” admits Grant Erard of J.E. Dunn, who’s overseeing the project, “but we do our best to keep the noise down for the floors above and below us.”
Demolition has been name of the game on the fourth floor for the past week, and Erard estimates the crew will see another three weeks of controlled destruction before clean-up and construction will commence. “That’s my favorite part,” he says, “when you begin to really see the vision come together.”
Nov. 20, 2024
‘Wallbreaking’ ceremony kicks off work for CFO’s future HQ
On Nov. 20, the Community Foundation of the Ozarks took a symbolic step toward its future by hosting a “wallbreaking” ceremony at its soon-to-be permanent home at 300 S. Jefferson Ave. in downtown Springfield. Donning hard hats and hammers, CFO staff, along with past and present board members, celebrated the start of renovations for the new office space.
CFO President and CEO Winter Kinne shared her vision for the new building. “We’re basically building a house,” she remarked, “because we don’t intend to ever move again — 300 South Jefferson is going to be our forever home.” She emphasized that the renovation and eventual move reflects the CFO’s dedication to stewardship and long-term sustainability.
CFO Board Chair Anne E. McGregor and President Winter Kinne celebrate the ceremonial start of renovations on the fourth floor of 300 South Jefferson, the future home of the CFO. Construction will begin in January 2025.
CFO Board Chair Anne E. McGregor concurred. “We say that a good business is more like a river than a lake; you build things so that they can withstand what comes downstream. The CFO has been built that way.”
Attendees were also invited to leave notes for future generations of CFO staff and board members, which will be preserved in a time capsule within the new space.
Past and current board members then followed staff up to the fourth floor for a tour of the future layout — to be completed in summer 2025 — and (under professional supervision) to take hammer to drywall.
Designed by Dake Wells Architecture, the CFO’s office on the fourth floor of 300 South Jefferson features natural elements like slate tile and black walnut woodwork to complement the original Brutalist design.
