LANDMARK PROGRAM PUTS PAST ON MAP

Cape Girardeau has a wealth of old homes and historic sites, many of them architectural gems.

But in the hustle and bustle of every day life, they are often overlooked.

The Historic Preservation Commission hopes to draw public attention to the city's rich heritage through its Local Landmark Designation program.

The program was established four years ago. Since then, the commission has recognized two homes, the Cape River Heritage Museum and the Old Lorimier Cemetery as local landmarks. The two homes are the Stiver House at 401 N. Louisiana and the Hunze House at 312 Bellevue.

But John Schneider, commission chairman, says there are many structures that could qualify.

"There are hundreds of structures that are worthy of this designation," he said.

The program targets buildings that are at least 50 years old and have distinct architectural styles, and those buildings and sites that have historic significance.

Schneider said the criteria for landmark status are similar to that of the National Register of Historic Places only the documentation process is less stringent.

The commission wants to include the city's eight National Register sites on the local landmarks list and ultimately print a brochure identifying all the landmark structures and sites.

The program is voluntary on the part of property owners.

Schneider said many property owners are reluctant to apply for local landmark status because they mistakenly fear they are giving up some of their property rights.

Local landmark status requires the approval of the property owner, the preservation commission, the Planning and Zoning Commission, and the City Council.

The landmark properties are given a historic zoning designation, and the city presents property owners with numbered, brass plaques.

Items that are considered significant either architecturally or historically are inventoried for each property.

If property owners want to make changes that affect those listed items, they must apply to the preservation commission for a certificate of appropriateness. Property owners that make unauthorized changes could lose their landmark status.

Kent Bratton, city planner, said the landmark designation should benefit property owners.

"We hope at some point, at least, it starts increasing property values," he said.

Fred Hoelscher and his wife, Jackie, obtained local landmark status for their home.

They bought the century-old Hunze House in 1993 and turned it into a bed-and-breakfast place.

"We have a real appreciation and love of old houses," he said.

Councilman Tom Neumeyer, who lives in an arts-and-crafts-style bungalow built in 1910, said the landmark program will create greater public awareness of the city's heritage.

"It is supporting the idea of historic preservation at the grass roots level," said Neumeyer, who previously served on the preservation commission.

In the 1960s, many of Cape Girardeau's old buildings were torn down.

"Thank God, the pendulum has swung back again and people realize the need for historic preservation," he said.

LOCAL LANDMARKS

Old Lorimier Cemetery, which dates back to 1808, was designated a landmark because it contains the graves of some of the city's original leaders, including the town's founder, Louis Lorimier. The hilltop cemetery overlooking the Mississippi River has more than 1,100 marked graves and an undetermined number of unmarked ones.

The Stiver House, built in 1939, is a 1 1/2-story, Cape Cod brick house, painted white. The hand-pressed brick was made before 1900. Charles Stiver owns the house. Both his father and grandfather served as city engineers. The house was designed by his mother, Gladys Brooks Stiver, who helped set up the Rose Garden in Capaha Park. His father, Christian Stiver, supervised construction. Christian Stiver was a civil engineer who designed and supervised construction of the cement plant in 1904 and many of the older streets. The house is shaded in the front yard by a large walnut tree, planted in 1904.

Stiver's grandfather, Maj. James Francis Brooks, was born in 1844 on a Missouri riverboat. He was an Indian agent for a time and served in the Union Army during the Civil War. Brooks helped build the first long-distance telephone line in Missouri between Cape Girardeau and Jackson. The switchboard was in his kitchen.

The Cape River Heritage Museum is a two-story brick building at Independence and Frederick. It was constructed in 1909 and served as a firehouse, jail and police station. The police moved to different quarters in January 1960; the fire department moved into a new building in March 1981. The building has housed the Cape River Heritage Museum since 1982.

The Hunze House is a restored, 1 1/2-story Queen Anne structure built around 1891. It is constructed of clapboard and rests on a sandstone foundation. It contains elements of both Victorian and Gothic Revival styles. The home was built by Capt. Henry L. Hunze, a Civil War veteran who was best known as a coal, ice and sand dealer.

The design of the house reportedly reflected Hunze's memories of castles in his native Germany. It was one of the early homes built in the "Lorimier Hill" area. The Lorimier and Bellevue streets area was known as "Silk Stocking Row" between 1890 and 1910 because of the size and elegance of the homes.