Hecht building a design of noted architect T.P. Barnett

Last week's blog about a veritable flood in Hecht's women's clothing store 75 years ago made me curious about the origins of the ornate building.

A quick search in the Missourian's clip files revealed the structure was constructed in 1927 at a cost of $60,000. It was designed by noted St. Louis architect Thomas P. Barnett and constructed by J.W. Gerhardt, both of whom were responsible for the Southeast Missourian building, erected just a couple years earlier. Aside from an artist's drawing of the structure, no images of the new building appeared in the Southeast Missourian at the store's opening. One interior shot taken by Kassel Studio was purportedly made at the opening.

Louis Hecht, founder of the store, announced plans to construct the building the last day of 1926.

Published Dec. 31, 1926, in the Southeast Missourian:

COSTLY NEW STORE BUILDING WILL BE ERECTED AT ONCE

LOUIS HECHT TO BEGIN NEXT WEEK ON FINE STRUCTURE
ON MAIN STREET TO BE OCCUPIED BY HIS STORE

A magnificent new Louis Hecht building on Main Street, the most beautiful one with the most modern and attractive fixtures that he can have built -- this is the announcement of the enterprising merchant for the New Year.

When Mr. and Mrs. Hecht decided recently to have a store they could be proud of, one in keeping with other institutions of the town, they sent for representatives of a great store fixture concern at Grand Rapids, Michigan. When the two men arrived, the Hechts told them they wanted the niftiest store possible to have, without any gingerbread or shoddy ornamentation. The men, after taking the dimensions and figuring a few hours, said such a building complete would run into a lot of money, and hesitatingly announced the round numbers.

"That's reasonable enough," replied Mr. Hecht, and the men drew their breath.

"This is some town, all right," they concluded.

Will start immediately

By the end of next week Architect R.K. Knox will have plans ready for the rebuilding of the room now occupied by a barber shop. The barbers will vacate tomorrow. This room, which is 18x103 feet, will be completely modernized. When this work is done the Hecht stores, now occupying two rooms, will be moved into it, and the business will proceed as usual. It will require about 60 days to do this work, it is estimated.

As soon as the move is made the site of the present building will be cleared. Everything will be removed and a basement under the entire building will be dug. The lot is 39x103 feet.

By the time the store is moved to the single room the fixture company, working with Architect Knox, will have the plans for the new building ready and work will proceed without a stop. It is hoped to have the new building ready for occupancy by Aug. 15.

Much larger store

The building is to have two stories and basement. Special attention is to be given the front. Later on Mr. Hecht will go to Chicago and other points with representatives of the fixture company to view modern stores and in this way will decide upon the final details of his building.

The basement is to be used for a bargain store, the main floor will be for women's ready-to-wear and the second floor for millinery and children's wear. A balcony is also to be included, which will be used for offices and other purposes.

"We are ambitious to have a beautiful store," Mr. Hecht told The Missourian, "and while we will try not to waste any money we will spare no expense to get what we want."

Has rapid growth

Mr. Hecht came to Cape Girardeau from Poplar Bluff in 1917 and opened a little shop. A year later he sold out and went to war. He came back in 1919 and opened a store in one of the rooms he now occupies. A year later he occupied the adjacent room, having it connected with the main store. Now he has outgrown the two stores and will add a second floor and basement while providing an entirely new building.

Preliminary work began in January 1927, but it wasn't until May of that year that contractor Gerhardt actually removed the two buildings on the site -- each more than 50 years old -- and began to dig the basement.

The store was formally opened Dec. 5, 1927.

Published Dec. 3, 1927, in the Southeast Missourian:

Published Dec. 5, 1927, in the Southeast Missourian:

FORMAL OPENING OF HECHT'S NEW STORE WILL BE TONIGHT

ARCHITECT SAYS IT'S THE FINEST OF ITS KIND;
HECHTS SAY IT SHOWS THEIR FAITH IN FUTURE GROWTH OF THEIR CITY

The new Hecht building on Main Street will be formally opened tonight from 7 to 9 o'clock, an invitation having been extended to the citizens of this city and district to attend. It has also been announced that business in the new quarters will proceed as usual starting Tuesday morning.

The architecture of the new Hecht store is so out of the ordinary as to attract unusual attention. It is one of those buildings that will make everybody notice it and once seen it will never be forgotten.

As the styles for women's apparel originate in Paris, the Hechts decided that it would be best to have a French shop in as much as they deal exclusively in apparel for women and children. So they called in Tom P. Barnett, distinguished artist and architect, and asked him if he could design for them such a shop as they had in mind. As he usually spends the summers in France to do his painting, he was familiar with the shops of Paris, said by tourists to be the most beautiful in the world, and accordingly he designed the present building.

A Parisian shop

The architecture is strictly French. The gabled roof, with the weather vane perched above it, the small dormer window, the vari-colored slate roof which gives the effect of old age, the iron grills across the windows, the stone trimming with the deep red bricks set on end in white mortar and the magnificent columns of polished granite holding the side walls to the top of the show windows -- these things could make a Frenchman think he was in Paris and it is this type of architecture that attracts the attention of everybody.

The display windows are also of a new type. They are not of a French design, but are strictly American. The French do not give much attention to display windows, while here in America the windows usually make the store.

The Hecht windows are of solid glass, without any metal strips holding the different glasses together. In the center is an "island" case, setting out to itself. The lobby floor and the floor of the windows, including the "island," are of marble with a deep green marble border. The baseboards around the windows are also of deep green marble. A new concrete sidewalk completes the newness of the building.

The oval ceiling of the lobby is finished in ornamental plaster and from the center hangs a hand-made chandelier that is a work of art, it having been designed by Mr. Barnett to make the picture complete. The wall above the door leading into the store is paneled plate glass. The background of the windows is delicate green and the lighting, which is indirect, gives a veritable flood of light.

Beautiful interior

The interior of the store is equally as beautiful. The fixtures are of the very latest design and everything in the place was made to order, not an item of furniture or fixtures having been transferred from the old store. The woodwork is natural walnut, the floor is entirely carpeted, the walls and ceilings are cream and white, and the chandeliers are decorated to carry out the color scheme.

Across the rear of the store is a balcony, on which Mr. Hecht will have his office and accounting department. There is also on this floor a special fitting room, a retiring room, etc. A winding stairway leads to the balcony, being a new idea in stairway construction.

Beneath the balcony are fitting rooms, cabinets, retiring rooms, etc., all done to the same degree of completeness and beauty as the main parts of the store.

The basement was built so it can be used as a store, should the need arise. At present it will contain the heating apparatus, which uses an oil burner to prevent dust and dirt.

The second floor will be used for storage and alteration work. It is a beautiful room intended for mercantile purposes and in the future it will be an easy matter to install an elevator that will serve the basement and the two other floors.

A sprinkler system, which covers each ceiling completely, is a feature of the building. The structure is thus protected from any danger of fire.

The building is 28 feet wide on Main Street and extends back 106 feet. The new store presents a marked change in appearance and visitors will at first wonder what has happened. In the past the Hecht stores have been narrow and crowded, necessitating racks and tables everywhere. In the new store all the merchandise is in cabinets or drawers. The millinery is displayed on special shelves and at the close of business each day the hats are put away in drawers with the regular stock.

The view of the store toward the front windows is as beautiful as the windows themselves, the design of the room being worked out to such an extent that the windows and doors create a picture of charm.

Mr. Barnett declares this to be the most beautiful shop of the kind in the United States. When asked this question, Mr. Hecht said he was content to believe it to be one of the most beautiful.

"We have tried to make it as attractive as possible," he told The Missourian today, "because we have complete faith in the future of Cape Girardeau. We are sure the city will continue to grow, we see evidences of more out-of-town business right along, and our opinion is that such a store will attract more people to town and will bring us more business. Cape Girardeau already has many beautiful stores and we must hustle to keep up with the pace. We hope to see other stores improved and enlarged because the more business we bring to Cape Girardeau and the more we impress the people with the importance of our city as a trading center the more we will all prosper."

The room occupied by the Hechts since work was started on the new building early last spring will now be leased to another business.

J.W. Gerhardt was the contractor.

A splendid record

Mr. and Mrs. Hecht, who own and conduct the business, have been in Cape Girardeau 10 years. Mr. Hecht came here from Poplar Bluff before the war and opened a small shop on Main Street. When the war came along, he sold out and entered the service. Upon being mustered out, he returned and got a new location. Two or three years ago he joined two rooms together to accommodate his business and then when he outgrew these he decided to erect a building that would serve him properly for years to come.

To do this was not an easy matter because he had no place to move to while the building was erected. He bought the adjoining property which was an old building, tore it down and erected a modern building, which he occupied until today. Now he has this nice building to rent to another merchant.

The Hechts own much property on Main Street. Two years ago they erected the four-story building for the National House Furnishing Co., which is one of the most attractive places in Cape Girardeau, and they believe that their latest building will be further encouragement to others to go the limit in making Cape Girardeau a still more popular trading center.

The interior of the Hecht's store, 1927. (Kassel Studio ~ Southeast Missourian archive)

Published Dec. 6, 1927, in the Southeast Missourian:

HECHT OPENING DREW HUNDREDS

NEW STORE DECLARED MOST BEAUTIFUL TO BE FOUND ANYWHERE

The opening of the Hecht store Monday evening attracted hundreds of people, many being from other towns. The beautiful place had about as much the appearance of a floral establishment as an apparel store, dozens of floral pieces expressing the well wishes of friends. From 7 to 9 o'clock the store was filled with people and today there was a continuous stream of visitors.

Business will resume as usual tomorrow, the Hechts stated, and in the future the store will not be merely a show place but a place to accommodate larger stocks and more people.

The display windows, which attracted first attention, were dressed for the occasion by Edward Lamprich, a former Cape Girardeau boy. Years ago the Lamprich family was well known here, the father being employed by M.E. Leming. Edward went to school here and was one of The Missourian's carrier boys. Through his own efforts he has become one of the best known window trimmers in the country and now has charge of the display work for the Klein store in St. Louis. When Edward heard of the new Hecht store, he offered his service for the occasion, and the windows show how expert he is.

"I've seen women's stores in many cities but none to equal this one," he told The Missourian.

When the store finally closed its doors in early 2004, it was one of the last family-owned, upscale women's clothing stores in the country.