City of Cape Girardeau releases its 2021 'endangered' building list

The Art Building of Southeast Missouri State University is one of the oldest extant structures on Southeast's main campus.

Built in 1902 and opened in 1903, it is older than Southeast's Academic Hall, the administrative center of the university, and has been closed since August 2019 with no current plan for renovation.

The structure, located at 940 Academic Drive, has been on the Cape Girardeau Historic Preservation Commission's "watch list" since 2019, meaning the Art Building is showing signs of disrepair or deferred maintenance.

The Cape Girardeau HPC has placed 24 structures on its endangered buildings list this year with six of them new to the watch list and three others newly classified as formally endangered, meaning they exhibit obvious and more serious deterioration.

Newly endangered

• 419 Bellevue St., believed to be the oldest apartment building in the city, is a three-story U-shaped structure.
• 600 block of Good Hope Street is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Haarig Commercial Historic District.

"In recent decades, the (Haarig) district has been devastated by multiple demolitions as a result of chronic vagrancy and neglect. The remaining buildings may not last if a revitalization effort does not materialize soon," the HPC document read.

• Springdale Bird Sanctuary Gateway, 2693 Big Bend Road/2680 State Highway 177.

New to the watch list

• May Greene School, 1000 Ranney Ave.
• F.W. Woolworth Building, 1 N. Main St.
• Hecht Building, 107 N. Main St.
• 531 N. Fountain St.
• 227 S. Lorimier St.
• 419 North St.

Two other notable properties listed

• Former Broadway Theatre, at 805 Broadway, a century-old and visible Cape Girardeau landmark, was badly damaged by fire March 31 and has been considered endangered since the HPC began compiling lists in 2012.
• Cape Girardeau City Hall, the old Lorimier School, at 401 Independence St., will be abandoned by municipal officials Oct. 1 as offices will move to the new $12.5 million City Hall at 44 Lorimier St.

The entire list is intended to identify Cape Girardeau properties which, according to the commission, are "worthy of preservation but are at risk due to physical damage and/or long-term vacancy."

Other properties on the list: Esquire Theatre, 824 Broadway; 127 S. Lorimier St.; 230 S. Middle St.; 831 North St.; 207 North Henderson Ave.; 1925 Good Hope Street; Juden School, 900 W. Cape Rock Drive; 802 Good Hope St.; Marquette Natatorium, 2701 S. Sprigg St.; 543 S. Pacific St.; Surety Savings and Loan Association building, 318 and 320 Broadway; and 802 William St.

This year's endangered buildings list, as well as the lists from previous years, can be found on the City of Cape Girardeau's website, www.cityofcapegirardeau.org.