Also, Rothwell first try to tear them down

Posted on: January 9, 2020 at 15:01:45 CT

In the years of reconstruction after the fire of 1892, many thought of the Columns as an eyesore, blocking the view of the new buildings being constructed on the Quadrangle. Some even feared that they were structurally unsound and a safety hazard.

Among the original opponents of preserving the Columns was Curator Gideon F. Rothwell. A local paper reported that Rothwell had ordered two mule teams to tear down and haul off the Columns. Upon seeing this, a leading Columbia citizen named Jerry S. Dorsey protested their removal. As the news clipping states, "Mr. Dorsey declared that the Columns could not be pulled down by a herd of elephants, whereupon Mr. Rothwell announced that they were coming down if he had to dynamite them." The heated argument even progressed to fisticuffs between the two distinguished men.

Dorsey obtained a judicial writ that same day which delayed their destruction. An architect declared that they would be structurally sound, and Rothwell and the other curators soon had a change of heart. In fact, Gideon Rothwell was henceforth instrumental in their restoration.

https://muarchives.missouri.edu/1900-2.html