Commission issues Endangered Buildings, Watch lists

Cape Girardeau Historic Preservation Commission has released its Endangered Buildings and Watch lists for 2023.

The structures on the list have "historic value and are believed to be at risk of being lost due to significant deterioration and/or imminent demolition", according to a release.

One building on the Watch List, the former Broadway Theatre facility, appears to be less threatened than it has been recently. Developer Brennon Todt held a ground-breaking event Tuesday, May 30, for redevelopment of the property. His plan, approved by municipal officials, would shore up the fire-damaged structure and create retail and residential spaces as well as an eventual entertainment venue.

Other properties on the Endangered Buildings List are:

127 South Lorimier St.

A Missouri German Vernacular style house at 127 S. Lorimier St. in Cape Girardeau is among structures listed on the 2023 Endangered Buildings List compiled by Cape Girardeau Historic Preservation Commission.Southeast Missourian file

A Missouri German Vernacular style house at 127 S. Lorimier St. in Cape Girardeau is among structures listed on the 2023 Endangered Buildings List compiled by Cape Girardeau Historic Preservation Commission.Southeast Missourian file

The house reflects the Missouri German Vernacular style, which was once prevalent in Cape Girardeau. It has many of the character-defining features, such as a rectangular footprint, close proximity to the street, brick façade, stone foundation, brick arches over double-hung sash windows and a low, pitched roof with an end chimney. The house appears to be vacant and certain elements -- including the windows, bay window and rear addition -- are damaged and/or deteriorating. (On list since 2013.)

831 North St.

An example of the Colonial Revival style, the house is at the southeast corner of North and North Pacific streets. This large, two-story brick house features a symmetrical façade, side gable roof with narrow eaves, dual chimneys and a ram's head door pediment. It was once awarded the winner of a Christmas lighting contest. The house is deteriorating quickly due to missing roof shingles and missing mortar from the brick. (On list since 2017.)

600 block of Good Hope Street

The 600 block of Good Hope Street is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Haarig Commercial Historic District. This area was once a busy, thriving corridor that served the large number of German immigrants who had settled in the area in the mid to late 19th century. In recent decades, the district has been devastated by multiple demolitions as a result of chronic vacancy and severe neglect. (On list since 2021.)

The house at the southeast corner of North and North Pacific streets, 831 North St. in Cape Girardeau, is one of several structures on the 2023 Endangered Buildings List compiled by Cape Girardeau Historic Preservation Commission.Southeast Missourian file

The house at the southeast corner of North and North Pacific streets, 831 North St. in Cape Girardeau, is one of several structures on the 2023 Endangered Buildings List compiled by Cape Girardeau Historic Preservation Commission.Southeast Missourian file

419 Bellevue St.

The three-story, U-shaped apartment building is one of the oldest apartment buildings in Cape Girardeau. Built in 1913, the building features brick construction on a concrete foundation and contains Colonial Revival elements. The side and rear elevations contain numerous windows and segmental arches. The building is in severe need of maintenance, as evidenced by the damaged fascia, soffit and gutter on the front elevation. Overgrown vines cover nearly half of the façade. (On list since 2021.)

124 South Lorimier St.

Constructed around 1915, this two-and-one-half story brick house contains several character-defining features consistent with the Queen Anne style, including a rectangular floor plan with a cross gable roof and a chimney at each end. It also contains decorative brackets on the soffit and fish scale shingle siding and dentils near the roofline and in the gable and dormer. The house was expanded in the 1930s, presumably when it was converted from a single-family residence to apartments. The house is part of the Courthouse--Seminary Neighborhood Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places. Water damage is evident in several places, mostly due to roof issues, missing mortar and paint wear. (On list since 2022.)

Juden School, 900 West Cape Rock Drive

This former schoolhouse was built in 1854 and was in service until 1960. It features original wood floors and windows, as well as a blackboard. The building is vulnerable to flooding, particularly the basement, and the roof needs to be replaced. It is endangered in the sense that historic schoolhouses are disappearing from the landscape across the nation. (Added to Endangered Buildings List in 2015; moved to Watch List in 2016; moved back to Endangered Buildings List in 2023.)

F.W. Woolworth Co. Building, 1 N. Main St.

The two-part commercial block building was constructed in 1950 for F.W. Woolworth Co., which operated a successful five-and-dime store in the block and needed to expand. The new and improved store, which included a lunch counter, was a major shopping destination for many years. It eventually closed in 1977. The building was later occupied by a furniture store, which operated in it for over a decade, followed by a few other businesses. It has been vacant for several years and has not been maintained, as evidenced by the broken windows. The building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Main-Spanish Commercial Historic District. (Added to Endangered Buildings List in 2013; moved to Watch List in 2017; removed in 2019; re-added to Watch List in 2021; moved back to Endangered Buildings List in 2023.)

328 S. Sprigg St.

Built in 1900, this one-and-one-half story brick house is an example of the Missouri German Vernacular style. It features a cross-gable roof, with a dominant side gable and a smaller front gable on the right hand side of the front door. Other features include a stone foundation, corbeling at the base of the roofs, segmental arches over the doors and windows, semicircular arch over the small window in the front gable and a gabled rear dormer. The house has been vacant, with the windows boarded up, for more than two years. Vegetation covers the front door. The small window in the front gable is damaged, and the roof is missing the diamond shingles in several spots. (Added to list in 2023.)

Watch list

Properties on the commission's Watch list are:

• The Art Building, 940 Academic Drive -- Located on the main campus of Southeast Missouri State University, the Art Building opened in 1903 and was originally used as a training school. In the 1930s, the building housed the University's agriculture program. Since that time, it has been home to other programs, including anthropology, arts and home economics, and foreign languages. The stone block building features a pair of towered entrances, dentils beneath the cornice, and ornate columns. Like Academic Hall, Carnahan Hall, and other notable historic buildings on the campus, the Art Building embodies the University's rich heritage and contributes to its unique setting. Deferred maintenance has resulted in several of its rooms being closed. (On list since 2019.)
• Surety Savings and Loan Association Building, 318 and 320 Broadway -- This ornate two-story building was built in the late 1920s and was originally known as the Cherry Florist building. It was later purchased by the Surety Savings and Loan Association. Designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, the building features buff-colored brick and several terra cotta elements, including the belt course, parapet, pilasters and medallions. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Broadway and North Fountain Streets Historic District. It has been vacant for several years. The foundation contains cracks and one of the downspouts is missing, allowing water to enter the building and cause damage. (On list since 2020.)
• 802 William St. -- The dominant front-facing gable and asymmetrical façade of this two-story brick house at the northwest corner of William and South Ellis streets exemplify the Queen Anne style. Built in 1890, it contains several additional character-defining features, such as fish scale shingle siding, scroll brackets, clipped gable roof and windows that interrupt the cornice line. The house has a number of maintenance issues that need to be addressed. Cracks along the porch foundation, missing mortar between the bricks and rotting trim are evident. (On list since 2020.)
• May Greene School, 1000 S. Ranney Ave. -- Located near Fort D, May Greene School was built in 1920 and was originally named South Grade School. It was later renamed in honor of a prominent teacher who taught in the school district for over five decades. May Greene School was the first school in the area to become integrated. May Greene School was in service until 1999 when the new Blanchard Elementary School opened on North Sprigg Street, and the students were reassigned. Today, the building is used by a church for a faith-based after-school program. While the building is not dilapidated, it is showing signs of deterioration as well as vandalism. (Added to Endangered Buildings List in 2020; moved to and on Watch List since 2021.)
• 419 North St. -- This Craftsman Bungalow house is one of several that can be seen in the city's older neighborhoods. It features a side gable roof, shed dormer with a pair of two-over-two sash windows, wide overhanging eaves, horizontal siding, full-length front porch situated under the eaves and a stone foundation. The porch is being invaded by vines which, if allowed to further grow uncontrolled, will eventually cause damage to the house. The concrete steps leading to the porch and the retaining walls along the sidewalk are severely deteriorated. (On list since 2021.)
• Kelso Arboreta, 2009 Old Sprigg Street Road -- Located on what was once an 800-acre farm owned by Judge I.R. Kelso, the Kelso Arboreta is a unique and beautiful work of landscape architecture. Built in the 1920s to solve a sinkhole problem, the arboreta served for several years as an outdoor stage for numerous performances, as well as a favorite spot for picnics and nature studies. It features a sunken garden with terraces made from stone obtained from a quarry that once existed on the site of Houck Stadium. Other features include a stone fence along the street, gazebo, light post and a pair of short walls inscribed with "ARBORETA" flanking the driveway. The property containing the arboreta is currently for sale, and while it is hoped the next owner will continue to preserve it, there are no guarantees. (On list since 2022.)
• 121 N. West End Blvd. -- The two-and-one-half-story house exhibits characteristics of the Queen Anne style, including an asymmetrical façade, dominant front-facing gable, pedimented porch, bay windows and differing wall textures. Historically, the gable most likely contained fish scale shingle siding. The porch is showing signs of deterioration, and there appears to be some cracking in the foundation. Peeling paint and mildew are present on one of the sides. (On list since 2022.)
• 412 Asher St. -- This long, narrow house reflects the Missouri German Vernacular style. It features a two-door entrance on the front gable, with a transom light above each door. The roof and central chimney appear to be original to the construction period. The white paint has mostly worn off in several places, leaving the wood siding, doors, windows and other elements exposed to the weather. (Added to Endangered Buildings List in 2022; moved to Watch List in 2023.)
• Pure Ice Co. Building, 314 S. Ellis St. -- The tall, one-story brick building features recessed bays with brick corbeling along the top, large multipaned windows on the north portion, parapet with a clay tile cap and a curved, flat metal canopy over the office door. The building was completed in 1926 and expanded in 1948 and 1968. There is significant mortar loss throughout the brick walls. Several window panes are missing or damaged; most are covered with metal siding. The loading dock and the equipment on the roof are unstable. (Added to list in 2023.)
• Cheney Hall, 662 N. Henderson Ave. -- Built in 1939 by the Work Projects Administration, Cheney Hall is located on the main campus of Southeast Missouri State University. It is the University's oldest residence hall. Like the other older campus buildings, it features a stone exterior. The center portion of the symmetrical façade projects out slightly and contains an ornate arched entrance and a pediment at the top. The Missouri state seal is embedded between two windows beneath the pediment. Flat arches with large keystones adorn the windows on the main and second floors. The building was closed in 2015 due to structural issues, which have been addressed, but the University has no plans to reopen it for residency. Several of the rooms are uninhabitable. (Added to list in 2023.)