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Correction: Guy Buffet is the name of the French artist who sold and signed some of his art at an Ozarks Public Television fundraiser in 2006. His last name was misspelled in the original version of this story.
Answer Man: What business painted those ladies holding wine that are still on various windows downtown? — Michael Underlin, of Springfield
Actually, Michael, those paintings depict what appear to be wine servers of both genders and were made 12 years ago.
They went up and never came down.
They are all on the same deceptively large structure — the long-vacant Newberry building, constructed in 1951 as a department store. It has two stories with 42,130 square feet.
The entrance to the building is on the southwest corner of the square — next to the Park Central Branch Library. But the building extends to the corner of McDaniel Street and South Patton Avenue.
In October 2016, it was bought by the Newberry Building LLC from the Morris family  — as in Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris.
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Rusty Worley, executive director of the Downtown Springfield Association, has worked in downtown Springfield 13 years. The building has been vacant all that time.
Worley does not know who made the paintings. But they were part of a fundraising event held years ago even though the building was vacant.
The Morris family allowed the building to be used on special occasions for nonprofit causes.
The paintings were made for a Nov. 3, 2006, fundraiser for children's programming for KOZK Ozarks Public Television, according to Ron Junge, with Brown Derby, which is owned by the Morris family.
Ozarks Public Television and Brown Derby International Wine Center hosted a wine and food celebration on that date in the Newberry building.
The guest artist was Guy Buffet, of France, Junge tells me. Buffet sold and signed some of his work to raise funds.
Junge does not recall who painted the work that remains on the building.
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The current owner of the building is Newberry Building LLC.
Worley said Darren Smith, who owns Veridian Events, at 309 South Ave., was part of the ownership group.
Keep those questions coming. Send them to The Answer Man at 836-1253, spokin@gannett.com, on Twitter @stevepokinNL or by mail to 651 Boonville Ave., Springfield, MO 65806.
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