Broadway historic district may be expanded

A collaboration between Old Town Cape and Southeast Missouri State University's Historic Preservation Program seeks to expand the boundaries of Cape Girardeau's downtown Broadway-Middle Commercial Historic District.

The application, submitted to the State Historic Preservation Office for review in late July, would add the 600, 700 and 800 blocks of Broadway to the district.

Historic preservation student and Old Town Cape special projects intern Jennifer Baker completed the application with assistance from Steven Hoffman, history professor and coordinator of the university's historic preservation program.

In the application are a number of "contributing properties" or buildings that would add to the district's historical integrity.

Old Town Cape executive director Marla Mills explained since the application is just the first step of the process, it's possible not all of the recommendations will be considered "contributing."

The recommended buildings include two of Broadway's last remaining residential structures.

They include the Queen Anne-style house and former Broadway Books and Roasting Co. at 605 Broadway as well as a Missouri German Vernacular at 626 Broadway, which houses apartments.

People may look at some of the contributing buildings and "not think anything of them," Mills said, but many have a hidden history.

The Dollar General store building, 724 Broadway, and its parking lot are prime examples.

The property was built in 1948 as a grocery store and served at one time as a Kroger store.

The parking lot used by customers today is the original lot, which is why it also is being considered historic, a designation Mills said is unusual.

The extension would include the Broadway Theater, 805 Broadway, and Esquire Theater, 824 Broadway.

Both of the properties already individually are on the National Register of Historic Places, but Mills said it's not uncommon for listed properties eventually to be included in a historic district.

"From our perspective, just having the district and having the buildings either individually or as a contributing building in a district, makes them eligible for opportunities that do not exist if they're not on the national register," she said.

Property values often increase in historic districts, Mills said, in part because of the eligibility for historic preservation tax credits when the building is rehabbed.

The district also speaks to the care and attention given to Cape Girardeau's historic downtown, she said.

"I think it highlights the historic nature of our downtown and our area," Mills said.

"I always tell people that being on the National Register is an honor, and that's what it is."

Like the application to extend the Broadway-Middle Commercial Historic District, many of the nominations of Cape Girardeau's historic properties are the result of assistance from the university and its historic preservation program.

Sometimes the students help gather research that becomes the groundwork for a later nomination, or they actually submit applications themselves, Mills said.

"They [the university] have been a partner not just with us, but with the city," she said.

"We're much better off as a community to have that program here."

Mills is confident the district will be expanded, though she said the submission will likely receive some "tweaks" before it's all over.

When the State Historic Preservation Office completes its review, the application likely will require several revisions before being accepted by the Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation for listing on the National Register.

srinehart@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

Pertinent address:

605 Broadway St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.

626 Broadway St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.

724 Broadway St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.

805 Broadway St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.

824 Broadway St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.