Funds sought to fix historic Glenn House

Pat Ruopp says the 108-year-old Glenn House is part of the city's rich downtown culture, a vernacular-style home that not only adds to the city's deep river history but helps feed city coffers through tourism dollars.

"It's an actual site that tells something about the history of our town," said Ruopp, the president of the Historical Association of Greater Cape Girardeau. "And it's the only historic home in the city that is open to the public."

And it's fallen into a sad state of disrepair.

More than a dozen members of the association, all volunteers, appeared before the Cape Girardeau City Council Monday night to ask for funds from the city's hotel tax to help repair the Glenn House at 325 S. Spanish St.

The group asked for $15,000 a year from taxes collected from hotels and motels. That would help pay for what Ruopp expects will be more than $70,000 worth of repair.

The building has deteriorated in many areas, the group says, including dry rot on the front porch, eaves and in the washhouse. The roof leaks, and water has stained wallpaper and damaged the walls.

"All that you have to do is go down and look at the front porch, it's all dry rotting," Ruopp said. "It's really in bad condition. There's quite a bit of deterioration."

Restored 30 years ago

Jeremy Wells, the executive director of the association, said that the damage is culmination of years of not being able to afford to do much repair work.

"It was restored 30 years ago and since then it has gradually fallen into disrepair," he said. "It hasn't happened overnight."

Ruopp said that roughly 600 visitors pay $3 apiece to tour the Glenn House each year, but the $1,800 that raises is a far cry from estimated repair costs.

The house is eligible for Convention and Visitor's Bureau funds, Ruopp said, because it attracts tourists to Cape Girardeau, and it could attract even more if it were in better shape and they had money for marketing.

Mayor Al Spradling III told the group it needed to first appeal to the Convention and Visitor's Bureau, which makes recommendations to the council about funding.

The group plans to make a presentation at the bureau's next meeting, which is Thursday at 4 p.m.

"I'd be in favor of this, if the funds are available," Spradling said after the meeting.

Ruopp said that is the question.

"I think everybody is in favor of it," he said. "But are the dollars there? That's the question."

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137