A historic building in Springfield, Missouri, is breathing new life into the downtown area through a new lease with the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame sold its longstanding building in southeast Springfield to find a more centrally located property, moving from a 32,000-square-foot building with two stories. The organization opened in 1994 and features more than 4,000 pieces of sports memorabilia.
The organization's new home at the Diffenderffer Building in downtown Springfield has 21,000 square feet, and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is temporarily using 12,000 of those square feet. The organization has stated it might stay at the Diffenderffer or find a different permanent home in the area.
“Relocation presents an opportunity not only to expand our footprint, but also to strengthen our ability to engage with the public, broaden our educational programming, and deliver a more dynamic and accessible museum experience,” said Rob Marsh, CEO of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, in a statement. “This effort underscores our dedication to preserving Missouri’s sports legacy while positioning the Hall of Fame for future growth and sustainability.”
The Diffenderffer was built in 1925 and remodeled 18 years ago. The new location for the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame puts it within a mile of 15,000 residents and within 5 miles of 180,000, according to calculations by broker David Havens.
The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame has been selected by a panel of local industry professionals as the winner of the 2026 CoStar Impact Awards for lease of the year for Springfield.
About the project: Public parking available one block away helped mitigate visitor parking challenges.
What the judges said: Industry judges applauded the benefit of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame choosing downtown Springfield.
Tyler Ray of Moreno Group Commercial Realty said the hall will drive "new visitors to the area and attracting other businesses to consider relocating to prominent-well known downtown buildings, such as the Diffenderffer."
They made it happen: David Havens of Jared Commercial & Management represented the landlord.