11. House of Lords
(established early 1890s; demolished; Local Historical Trail marker on the site)
(319 Main. Now the location of Spiva Park, where Piccini Stefano's marble sculpture “The Joplin Miner” serves as an enduring tribute to the men who worked the mines of the Tri-State area.)

The three-story building housed a bar, restaurant, gambling tables, and “ladies in waiting.” In 1897, a young black musician named Scott Joplin (no, Joplin was NOT named after him!) was hired to play a unique form of jazz piano known as ragtime. The House of Lords also played a role in launching Thomas Hart Benton1s artistic career.