Marquette Hotel listed again on historic endangered list

The old Marquette Hotel building in downtown Cape Girardeau has made its second appearance on the 10 most endangered historic buildings list.

The Marquette made its first appearance on the endangered list last year.

This marks the third year of the endangered list compiled by the Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation. The 2002 list includes the Marquette and a deteriorating Kemper Military School at Boonville.

The Marquette, which opened in 1928, closed as a hotel in 1971, but parts of the building were used until 1981, said Pamela McCutchen, who nominated the Marquette for the list.

"When I first nominated the old hotel for the 2001 list, I was just an interested party," said McCutchen. Since then, she has been named to the board of the Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation.

10 structures

The list of 10 structures or places highlights the variety of architectural resources in Missouri that are historic and worth saving, said McCutchen.

The alliance released the latest list of "most endangered" places during its annual statewide preservation conference, held recently at Lake of Ozarks.

The Marquette Hotel at Broadway and Fountain streets is one of few Spanish-influenced buildings in the city. The six-story hotel has been vacant since 1981 and was condemned last summer.

City officials want the property to be cleaned up or demolished because the empty elevator shafts, unstable marquees and falling bricks could pose a danger.

The Marquette Hotel received national recognition in April when it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

"Jeremy Wells, a Southeast Missouri State University student, helped write the nomination for the honor," said McCutchen. "Hopefully, the designation will interest more people in the building."

The new designation will provide some tax benefits for rehabilitation of the hotel.

Carol Bullock, daughter of the former owner Thad Bullock, has been trying to find a buyer for the property.

James Clemens House

Also on the 2002 list of endangered buildings is The James Clemens Jr. House of St. Loins.

The James Clemens Jr. House was built inn 1859 for James Clemens Jr., a St. Louis businessman and cousin to writer Samuel Clemens, also known as Mark Twain.

After the death of its owner, the house and furnishings were sold to the Sisters of Carondelet, and became the Convent of Our Lady of Good Counsel. The Palladinan Villa served as a homeless shelter in recent years but is now vacant and has been vandalized. Turner Hall of Washington, Mo., is a complex of buildings consisting of the Washington Turnverein Hall that formerly housed the Puchta Saloon and Elks Lodge.

The earliest part of the complex, from 1866, is a one-story brick building designed by local architect Otto Brix.

The City of Washington purchased the property in 1997 and has plans to demolish the complex for parking unless a suitable use for the buildings can be found.

The St. Thomas Church of Waverly is the oldest and most intact church building constructed in 1853.

The building was used for an antique shop in the 1980s and is now used only for storage. It is in danger of demolition by neglect.

The Speed Horse Barns of Sedalia at the Missouri State Fair Grounds have been allowed to deteriorate, and some have been demolished a few at a time.

Constructed in 1901, the State Fair Site Administration has announced the final two barns are scheduled for demolition after this year's fair season.

The Kemper Military School of Boonville is the oldest military school west of the Mississippi River. The campus consists of 13 buildings, built from 1842 to the mid-1950s.

Some of the buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places.

The school does continue to operate, but the buildings needs work.

Lexington's Old City Hall closed its doors in 1985 and the 2 1/2-story building suffers from neglect. A feasibility study said the building could be updated, but the city has failed to endorse a plan for its re-use.

The George Washington Carver Schoo at Fulton, built in 1937 by the Kansas City architectural firm of Felt, Dunham and Kreingh, was dedicated by George Washington Carver.

The building closed in 1982 and was used for storage several years. In 1989, it was purchased by the George Washington Carver Memorial Foundation. The first floor of the building houses a black history museum and library and the second floor is used by the Fulton Family Resource Center. But, the building is threatened by lack of funds for further renovation.

The Campbell Chapel AME Church of Glasgow, founded in 1860 by freed slaves, Corbin and Ann Moore, is the oldest African-American congregation in Glasgow.

The church, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is in need of brick repointing, deteriorating window frames, and the entrance doors have made it difficult to achieve energy efficiency in the building.

The John Glaser Pottery Factory of Washington was built in 1878 by riverboat Capt. Archibald Bryan and was leased to John Glaser for use as a pottery factory. The factory is now vacant and is endangered by deferred maintenance and demolition by neglect.