Unique Cape Girardeau home boasts rich history, best view of river in the city

Saturday, January 13, 2024 ~ Updated 6:07 AM

The three-story house on 330 North Lorimier Street is a glamorous infusion of Cape Girardeau's past and present. The historic property contains stories of speakeasy parties, elaborate dinners, summer poolside gatherings and elegant weddings. It is a true time capsule of the families who have lived there and their deep roots in the community.

According to Cape Girardeau County archives, the home was built in 1917, but it was likely built earlier since it appears in a 1915 Southeast Missourian photograph. During that time, Cape Girardeau was a burgeoning rivertown with steamboats, trains and automobiles bringing new businesses and people to the area.

Charles L. Harrison, the first owner who originally built the home, was an important community leader and businessman. He attended and graduated from the Normal School in Cape Girardeau — which would become Southeast Missouri State University in future decades. He was influential in helping get the traffic bridge built across the Mississippi River and he served as president of the Cape Girardeau Hotel Co. when the Hotel Marquette was constructed.

Harrison's home and three of the houses surrounding 330 N. Lorimier were all occupied by Harrison's family in the early 1900s. One can imagine the many summer gatherings on his large terraced backyard which boasted Cape Girardeau's first inground pool and a grass tennis court -- both do not currently exist, but the original concrete shower houses and clawfoot shower basin are present on the property.

The home provides a stunning view of the Mississippi River, arguably the best view in Cape Girardeau. On clear days, the current owners say they can see trains chugging along the tracks in Illinois below an outline of rolling hills. Every single sunrise and sunset is indescribable.

Only three families in total have owned 330 N. Lorimier since its construction. The most recent owners have completely modernized the home with new electric, plumbing, roofing, windows, central air and heating, among other renovations. However, the owners were careful to maintain the home's history, original wood features and unique quirks.

There is a freshwater fountain with a sculpted Lion's head built into the wall on the first floor of the home. It still works today and can be turned on in the basement. In the kitchen, a "plate warmer" is built into the radiator system which the current owners have painted green to complement the kitchen's green tile backsplash. Families would have used the device to keep meals warm when hosting dinner parties; current owners say it works well.

The home's open kitchen concept provides a comfortable hosting space with large cabinets, a center island, original wooden butler's pantry and stainless steel appliances. In the dining room, there is an operational foot buzzer that would have been used to call down cooks and staff from the servants' quarters on the top floor. Presently, the top floor includes a full bathroom with an original clawfoot bathtub, guest bedroom and sitting room.

Current owners joke that using the foot buzzer has never "worked for them"; no cooks have magically appeared to make their dinners. But the buzzer could be a fun trick to let guests know when meals are ready.

Meet Team Fish of Edge Realty: Amber Prasanphanich, Kristal Fish Flentge, Kathi Fish, Jacob Fish, Emily McElreath and Alex Kies. Submitted photo

The second floor contains a converted laundry room and three bedrooms, including the master bedroom suite, bathroom and large walk-in-closet. There is also an office with three walls of windows overlooking the garage, river and downtown neighborhood. Views from every single window in this house reveal something marvelous: historical homes shining in the light, barges sneaking along the river and centuries-old trees reaching their branches to the sky.

The basement contains a true Great Gatsby-era relic -- an original speakeasy room built in 1921 at the start of prohibition. Current owners discovered a skeleton key labeled "Rompus Room'' to the double thick basement door which contains the secret bar and built-in bench seating. Owners have kept these original elements, including the wood paneling, leather countertops and sink.

One can imagine the most influential families of Cape Girardeau secretly gathering in the speakeasy, sipping alcoholic beverages, which were likely brought in through a hole the current owners have filled with a mini fridge. A vent above the fridge carries air from the speakeasy into the next room when activated with a switch -- likely used when guests were puffing on cigars and cigarettes.

A photograph of the Charles L. Harrison home in the 300 block of North Lorimier Street was published in the 25th anniversary edition of the Southeast Missourian on Oct. 3, 1929.

According to a Southeast Missourian article, bars closed during the prohibition era in Cape, but dance halls remained open; people could buy alcohol illegally behind many of the dance halls if they had the right connections. The Harrisons' speakeasy likely got alcohol through this method or Cape's primary sources of illegal alcohol at the time: by river from Memphis, Tennessee, and by road from U.S. 61.

Attached to the "Rompus Room" is a space that could function as a wine cellar or tornado shelter; there is a solid concrete patio located directly above it. Harrison's office is attached to the cellar with the original wood desk where he likely stored some of the hundreds of rare and unusual books from his collection -- which he donated to Southeast Missouri State University in his will. According to a Southeast Missourian article, Harrison allowed himself $50 each month to spend on his book collecting hobby.

Harrison was also influential in the upkeep and expansion of the Cape Girardeau Public Library, serving as the board's secretary for many years. He was one of the individuals most credited with helping the library remain open during World War II, according to a Southeast Missourian article.

Overall, the historic home at 330 N Lorimier Street is a place for gathering and experiencing life together. It offers privacy and safety in an established neighborhood with owner-occupied homes, but it is also a two-block walk away from Broadway and the food, shops and activities of downtown Cape.

To live in this home is to be ingrained in this community, living within the context of history while adding your own story to its pages.

To learn more about 330 N Lorimier St. and schedule a showing, call Amber Prasanphanich at (573) 275-1569 or Emily McElreath at (573) 579-7866 with Team Fish of Edge Realty: (573) 335-8111. You can also check out the online listing at semohousehunter.com.

The home at 330 N. Lorimier St. in Cape Girardeau boasts one of the best views of the Mississippi River. Submitted