Cape Girardeau City Council members vote to explore options for former Broadway Theatre

The building that once housed the Broadway Theatre has been granted a stay of execution after a majority of Cape Girardeau City Council members voted to explore other options outside of demolishing the downtown landmark.

Council members voted 4-3 in favor of directing city staff to seek alternatives, including a plan laid out in a presentation given before council to renovate the building. Mayor Stacy Kinder and council members Robbie Guard and Shannon Truxel voted against the measure. The discussion prior to the vote took more than an hour and included the most public and fiery disagreements the council has had in months.

The new direction does not guarantee the building will be saved but directs city staff to explore the rehabilitation of the building as an option. The city has 60 days from the final bid reception to decide to award the contract for demolition or void the current process, city planner Ryan Shrimplin said at the meeting.

Old Town Cape executive director Liz Haynes helmed the presentation that asked the city to stop the demolition process of the former theater and consider alternatives.

Haynes, along with Brennon Todt, owner of Todt Roofing Inc., and Stephen Hoffman, coordinator of the Southeast Missouri State University Historic Preservation Program, outlined a three-phase plan to transform the dilapidated building into a retail and housing development.

The presentation had the support of Old Town Cape, the Cape Girardeau Historic Preservation Commission and the Broadway Theatre Foundation's Board of Directors.

The city has received final bids for the demolition of the building. City manager Kenneth Haskin said the timeline — prior to council members' vote — was to put the final bid proposal for the razing of the structure before the council in two weeks. The received bids were for $471,200 and $293,743, respectively.

Todt said the plan was for him to acquire ownership of the building and oversee the development. He estimated that stabilization efforts to the front of the building — new windows and roof, among other things — would take care of the city's structural and aesthetic concerns and would cost an estimated $125,000 to $150,000. The process would take around 60 days, he said.

Councilwoman Tameka Randle was among the most ardent supporters for exploration. She said the proposal was well researched and communicated, and it had the potential to help Cape Girardeau.

Randle said the council and city leaders often cite economic development as one of the most important issues, locally, and that looking into the proposal was a step in potentially aiding that development.

Councilman Nate Thomas said it was worth looking into alternatives because it could potentially save taxpayers money and prevent the city from creating a situation they can't go back on.

"You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube," Thomas said. "If we tear down the building, there's no coming back and saying, 'Hey, let's revitalize that theater,' as opposed to, 'Hey, let's look at revitalizing that theater and if it still doesn't work, we can still tear it down.'"

Kinder and Guard expressed apprehension at stopping the current process and potentially devoting city funding to the rehabilitation of the structure with no guarantee the work would be completed.

Truxel said she was in favor of the rehabilitation effort but was concerned about devoting city funding to what she characterized as private gain.

Todt's four-year, three-phase plan would transform the building into a retail and residential space with storefronts and upscale apartments. The final version would also include a small theater to maintain the original purpose of the building. He said he has a guarantee of funding for the first phase, which would include building out three retail spaces and two upper-level, upscale apartments to the front of the building. Todt estimated that phase would take a year to complete.

Under city ordinance, the municipality has the option to pursue repair or demolition efforts with condemned buildings. Either option requires an open bid process, meaning there is no guarantee Todt Roofing would be selected to perform the work if stabilization was put out for bid.

The contractor said his participation in the process was contingent upon the city paying for the stabilization efforts, regardless of whether his company performed the work.

The building has been a fixture in downtown Cape Girardeau for more than 100 years. It's been listed on the Historic Preservation Commission's Endangered Buildings list since the list was first created in 2012.

The structure was in poor shape prior to a March 2021 fire that caused considerable damage to its facade, roof and structural integrity.

The city has had the building marked for demolition since last summer. Numerous repair orders were extended to allow time for the former theater to be restored in 2021 and 2022, but all lapsed without significant progress prompting the city to move forward with demolition.

Todt was the contractor who oversaw the renovation of the Rivers & Rails building in downtown Cape Girardeau.