Marquette clears out some remaining items

Carol A. Bullock, left, the present owner of the Marquette Hotel in Cape Girardeau watched over Margaret Wiggins also from Cape, as she searched for lost treasure during the Marquette Building garage sale SaturdayBy Janis M. Gosche ~ Southeast Missourian

Carol Bullock hosted a garage sale Saturday in the Marquette Hotel car garage hoping to clear out some remaining items before the building is turned over to its new owners.

The fate of the 74-year-old hotel was decided in July when the Missouri Division of Facilities Management awarded a state contract for office space to Prost Builders, the new owners of the property. Several state departments, including Social Services, Mental Health and Health and Senior Services, will move into the building when $6 million in renovations are complete.

At the garage sale, several people rummaged through old cards, photos, pianos, cafeteria equipment, appliances and various pieces of furniture including metal bed frames, chairs, a book stand and a television.

Sisters Janie Evans and Wadine Savage of Cape Girardeau came out to find a memento or two.

"We used to eat here all the time," Evans said. "It was great. We loved the food; delicious. And the decor was beautiful. I even used to work in the restaurant here when I was a kid."

'Just a landmark'

The two women said they always wanted to go up and see the rooms but never made it up there.

"It's just a landmark, just a part of the past, our past, like Woolworth's Five and Dime on Main and Independence," Savage said. "This was a favorite place."

Many hotel items were sold at an auction held by Bullock's father, Thad, several years ago. Bullock was asking people to make her an offer on what was left.

Linda Igoe and Marilyn Booth of Marble Hill, Mo., uncovered a few bed frames, a changing/privacy screen and a bird cage.

"This screen looks to be in pretty bad shape," Booth said. "But Linda is a digger. She can make it look nice."

Steve Lowes of Cape Girardeau tinkered with some of the piano keys and found an old oil can to his liking.

"I've lived in Cape all my life and always been infatuated with the Marquette," Lowes said. "It has such beautiful architecture. When we were kids, we used to climb onto the roof. You could see the whole city."

jgosche@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 133