The Sept. 10 fire in Ellis Library is estimated to have caused between $600,000 to $1 million in damages. Renovations to the library and the State Historical Society are expected to continue until the end of the semester. Most of the repairs will be covered by insurance.
Christopher C. Kelley, an MU graduate and events assistant with the MU Police Department, was charged with second-degree burglary and second-degree arson. He admitted to being in the library after hours, but denied setting the fires, according to court documents.
“He was an events staff person with us,” MUPD Capt. Brian Weimer said in a previous Maneater article. “He worked move-in and a football game. He has worked at the job about a month. We had calls from the community identifying him to turn himself in.”
The fire occurred on the second floor of the library, causing fire and smoke damage to the first floor and water damage in other areas. The incident closed the library for three days.
The circulation office was moved, and a computer lab and study spaces were shut down due to the repairs. Visitors must navigate around partitions blocking off construction areas.
“We have to had to close off about a quarter of the first floor of the northeast quadrant,” MU Library spokeswoman Shannon Cary said. “It has affected students somewhat because we had to close a computer lab and some study space.”
Offices have also been moved to the northwest corner of the library due to fire damage to the office furniture and walls, Cary said.
The north section of the State Historical Society has been shut off from the public due to construction. Ten employees were displaced by the repairs and relocated to other offices. The area is still open for researchers.
The society suffered $10,000 worth of damages in destroyed duplicate microfilm. Repairs to the ceilings above the microfilm newspaper collection are schedule to begin soon.
Construction has led to the cancellation of the State Historical Society of Missouri’s annual “Trick of Treat through Missouri History” event.
Administrators have plans to move the historical center to the Heinkel Building. A lack of funding has extenuated the project’s timeline.