Cape construction, 1920s

For many, many years, the Southeast Missourian newspaper printed a special annual edition that reviewed the achievements of the previous year. Probably for lack of a better name, it was called the Achievement Edition. Before that, we published a similar edition at the end of each year. Surprisingly, that was called the Year-End Edition.

Many of the area's older readers will remember the Bulletin Journal newspaper. It, too, had a special, once-a-year edition: Progress. After the Missourian was purchased in 1986 by the owners of the Bulletin-Journal, the publications were merged and the older name -- Southeast Missourian -- survived. But Achievement gave way to Progress, and we continue to publish that special edition each February.

One of the mainstays of the old Achievement and Year-End editions was a recitation of all the structures built in Cape Girardeau and the area during the preceding 12 months. Lists were printed of each new house or commercial building and its address. As an added bonus for researchers, a lot of the editions include photos of the new structures.

I thought it might be interesting to look at the commercial structures included on these lists. The notations are as I found them in the original newspapers, including some "politically incorrect" terms. This first offering contains new construction in Cape Girardeau during the 1920s.

1921

Central High School annex, South Pacific

Clark's Music Store, Main Street

Country Club, Cape Rock

Colored Church, South Cape

Frisco Passenger Station (South Main Street)

Fairchild Garage, North Pacific

Jefferson School (Jefferson Avenue)

Nussbaum store, Broadway

New Broadway Theater, Broadway

New Rustic Theater (colored), North Sprigg

Shoe Factory, additional building (North Main)

Standard Oil Co., filling station, Good Hope and Frederick streets

Texaco Oil Co., filling station, Middle and Broadway

Texaco Oil Co., filling station, Morgan Oak and Sprigg streets

1922

Education Building (in progress), College Campus

Farmers & Merchants Bank (in progress), Sprigg and Good Hope

Rudert and Sons Motor Co., garage building, Sprigg and Morgan Oak

Cape Girardeau Bell Telephone Co., garage building, Broadway and Ellis

County Home (in progress), North Kingshighway

W.C. Bahn, brick business structure (in progress), South Main

Kroger store, Broadway

Cape Sand Co., office on riverfront

Green and Kinder restaurant, near International shoe factory

Cape Oil Co., office, Middle and Broadway

Sinclair Oil Co. office, Broadway and Pacific

Dunnegan Construction Co., bunkhouse, mess hall and camp building, West Bloomfield

J.A. McClain, store, South Painter Avenue

Hoover and Kaiser, storehouse and garage, North Main Street

North Main Street Garage, near shoe factory

John Ravenstein, store building, South Sprigg Street

William Vedder, novelty store, Broadway

1923

Farmers & Merchants Bank, Sprigg and Good Hope streets

American Cotton Gauze Co. (in progress)

Fred A. Groves Sales and Service (in progress), Sprigg and Themis streets

Forest Lumber Co. (in progress), Frederick and Morgan Oak streets

Goddard Grocer Co., Main and William streets

Gardner Auto Co., West Broadway, near Pacific Street

Hocksen Lumber Co., short dimension lumber plant, North Cape Girardeau

Cape Mill Manufacturing Co., cotton gin, the first in Cape Girardeau in a half century

Brinkopf Undertaking Co., mortuary, Broadway and Frederick Street

H.A. Nussbaum, two-room store building on West Broadway, between Sprigg and Ellis streets

J.L. Jones, confectioner (in progress), Broadway near Ellis Street

B.A. Moeder (in progress), Good Hope and Sprigg streets

American Railway Express Co, Main Street

C.C. Umbeck, grocery store, 398 West End Blvd

B.H. Stone, combination store building and apartment house, 559 S. Sprigg St.

Kelso Oil Co., filling station, 320 S. Sprigg St.

Mason Thomas, one-and-a-half-story frame store and dwelling, Perry Aavenue

Pentecostal Church, North Main Sstreet

Juden School District No. 5, school building

1924

American Cotton Gauze Co., South Cape

Fred A. Groves Sales and Service Co., Themis and Sprigg streets

The Southeast Missourian (in progress), Broadway and Lorimier Street

Excelsior Music Co., 433 Broadway

Idan-Ha Hotel, annex, Broadway and Fountain Street

Auto Tire & Parts Co., garage, Broadway (rear)

Assembly of God Church, South Ellis Street

Brown Owl Tavern, Cape-Jackson Road

Cape Lumber Co., brick office building and frame sheds, West Independence

Giboney Houck, pasteurizing plant, Independence and Middle streets

Joe Jones, brick store building, 700 block Broadway

Keller & Haas, frame building for concrete plant, Independence and Painter Avenue

Lutheran parochial school, Pacific Street

W.O. Meyer, brick store building, South Pacific Street

Miles Packing Co., stock barn, South Middle Street

Marquette School, South Kingshighway

North Main Street Garage, brick garage building, 605 N. Main

Rueseler & Bohnsack garage, 421 Broadway

Theo Roth, brick store building, South Sprigg Street

Third Methodist Church, North Cape Girardeau

J. Maple Wilson, frame store building, Red Star Addition

1925

Southeast Missourian, Broadway and Lorimier

Cape Girardeau Building & Loan Association, Main and Themis streets

National Home Furnishing Co., Main Street

Parisian Dry Cleaning Co., 510 Broadway

Miles Packing Co. plant, South Cape

H.K. Dean, ice plant (in progress), South Ellis Street near Good Hope

Cape Girardeau Sand Co. plant, North Main Street

Bess M. Kilgore, combination store building and apartment (in progress), West Broadway

J.W. Gerhardt, contractor, Sprigg street at Independence (his own office and rental space)

Nash (automobile) Sales Co.

Standard Oil filling station, South Sprigg and Jefferson Avenue

J.W. Powell, barber shop, Smelterville

Fred Blechle, store building, Broadway and Park Avenue

Cape Coal Co., fee barn, South Frederick Street

Alexander Weiss, store building, South Sprigg

Broadway Tire station, Ellis Street

Fred Braun, store building, Sprigg Street near Broadway

Cape Milk Co., Independence and Middle

Johnston Cleaning Co. plant, Main Street

People's Oil Co., filling station, Good Hope and Middle

John Knaup, greenhouse, Broadway at rear of florist shop

Pierce Oil Co., garage and storeroom, North Main Street

1926

First Baptist Church, Broadway

Marquette Cement Co., office building, South Cape

Miles Packing Co.

Pure Ice Co., Ellis Street

May Greene School annex

Washington School addition (in progress)

West End public school (in progress)

Southeast Missouri Hospital (in progress)

Field house (in progress), Teachers College

Compas Motor Co., Sprigg and Merriwether streets

L.F. Brenneisen garage (in progress), Sprigg and Morgan Oak streets

Fred Stammer garage, Sprigg street near College Street

Dietrich Auto Painting Co. (in progress) Sprigg and Themis

Cape Sand Co. plant, North Main Street

Terminal Cafe building, Main and Independence streets

People Oil Co., filling station, Sprigg and Merriwether

A.W. Seabaugh, store room of concrete and tile, Main and Mill

J.T. Cherry, greenhouse, 318 Broadway

W.O. Ragsdale, two-story brick garage, 239 N. Middle St.

J.C. Fuerth, oil filling station, Sprigg and William

A.L. Fuerth, tire station building, Sprigg and William

H.A. Jones, two-story business and apartment building, Main and Pearl

Cape Oil Co., filling station, Perry Avenue

1927

First Baptist Church, West Broadway

Hotel Marquette (in progress) Broadway and Fountain

Louis Hecht building, Main Street

Southeast Missouri Hospital (in progress)

Centenary Methodist Church education building (in progress)

Washington School annex

Franklin School

Walther Undertaking Co. (in progress), Middle and Bellevue

Houck Field House

J.T. Cherry, greenhouse, West Broadway

Bryan Laundries, Inc., West End Boulevard

Missouri Utilities Gas plant and gas holder

Bohnsack and Kraft machine shop, South Spanish

V.S. Stevenson, store building and apartment, Bloomfield Street and West End Boulevard

Cape Oil Co., tire station, South Sprigg

A.H. Meyer, pork plant building, North Sprigg

Miller & Foeste, grocery store, Hanover and Bloomfield

H.A. Jones, two-story brick store and apartment building, North Main and Pearl

L.F. Brenneisen, brick garage building, South Sprigg and Morgan Oak

William Franz and Lonnie Hill, barbecue stand, South Sprigg

Peoples' Oil Co., office building, Maple and Fountain

1928

Hotel Marquette, Broadway and Fountain

Hotel Marquette garage (in progress), North Fountain

Montgomery Ward

Cherry floral building (in progress), 300 block of Broadway

J.C. Penney Co., retail store, Main Street

Neal's Hardware store, Broadway

Hecht-Miller garage, Main Street

Rohrbach Motor Co., Oldsmobile building, 100 block of North Sprigg

Central Cleaners, Sprigg Street

Southeast Missouri Packing Co., West End

Cape Foundry and Machine Co., 2 1/2-story brick building, North Main

Frank Unnerstall, drug store, South Sprigg

Blechle Grocery, West Broadway

Southeast Missouri Hospital, Lacey Street

Centenary Methodist Church, education building, North Ellis

J.L. Jones (in progress), restaurant, Broadway

Home Bakery, lower Independence

Hecht garage, 100-car storage garage, South Main

Marquette Cement Mfg. Co., 16 80-foot silos, South Cape

Missouri Utilities Co., 225-foot smokestack, North Cape

1929

Southeast Missouri Telephone Co. (in progress), Broadway and Ellis Street

Christ Evangelical Church (in progress), South Ellis and Merriwether

First Presbyterian Church, Sunday School building, lower Broadway

Withers building (Kinder Drug Store), two-story commercial store building, Good Hope street between Frederick and Sprigg

Kelso Oil Co., office Building, North Main

Alvarado, service station and tourist dining room, Highway 61 and West Broadway

Vandeven Mercantile Co. annex, Broadway and Pacific

People's Oil Co. annex, Broadway and Pacific

Polack Bros. Plumbing Co. annex, 718 Broadway

Rudert & Sons Garage annex, 340 S. Sprigg St.

Dormeyer West End Drug Store (in progress), Broadway near Henderson

Southeast Missouri Packing Co., Highway 61 just off Bloomfield

Cape Sand Co. office building, North Main

Huebel store, near International Shoe Co. factory on North Main

William Day truck terminal, Good Hope

Christian Science church, North West End Boulevard

Marquette Cement Mfg. Co. screening plant, South Cape