Broadway building rehab has started ... slowly, owner says

On July 6, developer Kenny Pincksten said work would begin the following week to rehabilitate one of Cape Girardeau's oldest buildings, which sits at one of the city's busiest intersections.

Three weeks have passed, prompting some to ask why the project at the corner of Broadway and Sprigg Street has yet to begin.

On Tuesday, Pincksten said that -- despite any outward appearances -- it has.

"There's just a bunch of stuff going on that people can't see when they're driving by," Pincksten said. "But we have already started. We've been there."

Some site preparation has been done already to the two-story, 143-year-old building, he said, and four dump trucks full of trash and debris have been hauled off. Progress has been made tearing down some interior walls, he said.

"It's just not going to be one of those jobs where you drive by tomorrow and be able to tell that something's been done," he said. "This is not a typical, ordinary job."

Pincksten did acknowledge that "full-blown construction" hasn't started yet and that work crews have not been on site every day. His company, Pincksten's Prestige Development Co., has other projects it's working on ,and he said he will more fully commit his resources to the Broadway building within a matter of weeks.

"We're finishing up other jobs right now," he said. "We're trying to get other things wrapped up. That job's going to take a whole lot of workers and a lot of concentration."

Asked for a specific time frame for a construction start date, Pincksten said "it will be weeks -- it won't be a month."

Plans call for converting the dilapidated building that was built three years after the Civil War into a historically renovated mix of commercial and residential space. Pincksten hopes the work will be completed by Christmas. Half of the $800,000 project is being funded with a Missouri Community Development Block Grant, which requires a matching amount from the developer.

Pincksten intends to convert the main floor of the building into commercial space and the upstairs into apartments.

Old Town Cape executive director Marla Mills said she knew Pincksten's company had been doing some site preparation that wouldn't be visible to those who might be watching for something to happen.

"I think that everyone is really looking forward to the day that building's finished and looks better than it does today," Mills said. "It can be a slow process. That is one of the most frustrating things about my job. A lot of what happens is incremental. But I'm confident that it's going to be a great rehab."

The work may not be apparent from the outside of the building for quite some time, Mills said.

"And it's hard to be patient sometimes," she said. "But it's like I always say: Downtown didn't get to where it is overnight and it's not going to get back to where we want it to be overnight."

smoyers@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

635-637 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, MO