BOYD RAZES DOWNTOWN STRUCTURE

~Correction: The name of the shoe factory was Florsheim Shoe, not Brown.

The old Sinclair Service Station at 212 N. Main, purchased by Boyd Gaming Corp. in 1994, was reduced to rubble Tuesday.

The demolition of the structure by Eagle Excavating marks the second building which has been taken down for Boyd Gaming Corp. A small house in the 200 block of North Spanish Street was demolished last week.

Boyd Gaming owns property along both sides of North Main Street from Broadway north to and including the old Brown Shoe Factory site.

The service station property is designated for a portion of the land-based gambling complex proposed by Boyd for downtown Cape Girardeau. Boyd and the city of Cape Girardeau have signed a development agreement for the Las Vegas-based company to develop and operate a $51.1 million gambling operation.

The proposal calls for a $24.7 million riverboat and $26.4 million for a land-based facility that would include a parking garage, restaurant and retail space.

The demolition of the two buildings is the first visible action in Cape Girardeau by the gaming corporation, which is awaiting action by the Missouri Gaming Commission on new locations for gambling operations in the state.

Boyd currently operates the $116 million Sam's Town gambling complex in Kansas City.