Cape sites closer to national renown

Five historic sites in Cape Girardeau moved a step closer Friday to being listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation approved the nominations during the second day of its two-day meeting in Cape Girardeau.

The five sites are Old Lorimier Cemetery, Kage School, Esquire Theater, St. Vincent's Seminary and the Henry-Harrison House.

Board chairman Tim Conley of Louisiana, Mo., praised the historic sites and the growing effort in Cape Girardeau to preserve historic architecture.

He said historic preservation was largely ignored in Cape Girardeau years ago. It takes time to get the public to appreciate preservation efforts, Conley said.

"People have to see examples of success stories," he said. They also have to realize that national register status doesn't prevent property owners from making improvements to their buildings, Conley said.

He particularly singled out the efforts of Southeast Missouri State University to develop an arts school while preserving the historic St. Vincent's Seminary building overlooking the Mississippi River.

He credited the university for spending money to strengthen the brick walls of the seminary structure so it could withstand a major earthquake.

Six of the 11 members of the state board attended the meeting at Port Cape Girardeau restaurant. About 50 people involved in various preservation efforts across the state also attended the meeting.

The Port Cape Girardeau restaurant fittingly is housed in three contiguous, 19th-century brick buildings that have been placed on the national register as part of the city's Warehouse Row District.

The five nominations, along with some 30 others approved Friday, now will be sent to the National Park Service in Washington, D.C., to be placed on the national register.

Terri Foley, a historic preservation consultant in Cape Girardeau who worked on several of the local nominations, said the sites should be added to the national register in 10 to 45 days.

The meeting marked only the second time the state board has convened in Cape Girardeau in the past 19 years.

Four of the preservation consultants who presented nominations were graduates or current students in Southeast Missouri State University's historic preservation program, said Dr. Steven Hoffman, program coordinator.

Foley presented three of the five local nominations, highlighting the architecture and historic significance of the city's oldest cemetery, the boarded-up Kage School and the shuttered Esquire Theater.

The cemetery's tombstones, bearing inscriptions in French, German, Latin and English, reflect the cultural diversity of the city's early residents, she told the board.

Kage School was a brick, one-room, rural schoolhouse.

"It was the first school in the area to have a kitchen and serve hot lunches," Foley said.

The Esquire Theater is currently is used for storage, but owner Phil Brinson wants to restore the facade, Foley told the board.

Some of the theater seats and the movie screen have been removed. But the building still has the original tile floors in the bathrooms and the curved concession stand in the lobby, Foley said.

St. Vincent's Seminary building was one of the earliest colleges west of the Mississippi River, said Elizabeth Rosin of Kansas City, who researched the site for the nomination.

The other nominated structure in Cape Girardeau, the Henry-Harrison House, has five fireplaces and a wrap-around porch. The owners, Robert and Kaye Hamblin, are restoring the house.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123

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HISTORIC RECOGNITION

The five Cape Girardeau sites on track for joining the National Register of Historic Places.

* Old Lorimier Cemetery

Founded in 1808 by city father Louis Lorimier; has 1,500 marked graves; located at 500 N. Fountain St.

* Kage School

The one-room schoolhouse was built in 1880 and operated until 1966; located at 3110 Kage Road.

* Esquire Theater

Once the largest art deco theater in the Midwest; opened in 1947, and closed in 1985; located at 824 Broadway.

* St. Vincent's Seminary

The L-shaped brick college at 201 Morgan Oak St. was constructed between 1843 and 1871; it closed in 1979.

* Henry-Harrison House

Built in 1897 by Cape Girardeau civic leaders William Henry and Lilla Luce Harrison; A Queen Anne-style brick house at 313 Themis St.