as the Mission Hills mansion, is the oldest structure on campus, built in 1926 as the private home of Lucius Buchanan. When the property was purchased for use as the university's campus in 1964, the mansion was originally used by then President Leon Billingsly for his office space. It then served as the home of the school of business from 1969 to 1980 and the social sciences department between 1987 and 1992. It sat empty from 1992 until 2006, when the process of restoring and renovating it for its current use started. Former buildings Joplin Junior College at 4th Street & Byers Avenue (1938–1959) was the first permanent home of the college (the year previously the college's courses were taught in the Joplin High School building at 8th Street and Wall Avenue). The building, which was originally constructed in 1897 and then nearly doubled in size in 1907, had previously served as the home of Joplin High School and later as North Junior High School before being renovated for use by the fledgling college. Joplin Junior College moved out of the building in 1959, moving to the now Joplin School District Administrative Offices at 8th Street and Wall Avenue. The 4th Street & Byers Avenue building was razed in 1961. Blaine Hall (1946–1959) was named after Harry E. Blaine, the dean of Joplin Junior College from 1937 to 1947. It is not to be confused with the dormitory on the current campus that is also named after Blaine. It was located in a formerly private residence that was near Joplin Junior College's first home at the corner of 4th Street and Byers Avenue. Blaine Hall acted as a student union and had a cafeteria and a student lounge. The building was abandoned by the college when it moved to its second home at 8th Street and Wall Avenue in 1959. It was eventually torn down. Joplin Junior College/Jasper County Community College at 8th Street and Wall Avenue (1959–1967) was the second permanent home of what was then Joplin Junior College (though the first year the college had offered courses in 1937 those classes had also taken place in this building). During the time the college was in this building it was renamed Jasper County Community College. This structure was built in 1917 as the home of Joplin High School, replacing the previous building at 4th Street & Byers Avenue, which