New Marriott open in downtown Cape Girardeau

Cape Girardeau�s downtown has a hotel again for the first time in 47 years: the Marriott Courtyard hotel is open for business, said Jeff Maurer, co-developer of the project.

The hotel has 91 guest rooms, a conference room, fitness center and laundry, Maurer said, and is actually made up of two structures joined by a third, a free-standing tower in between.

The H-H Building, at Broadway and Fountain Street, was built in 1907 by lumber company Himmelberger-Harrison, whose offices were in the building at one point, and housed Southeast Missouri Trust Co. on the first floor, in what is now the ornate lobby.

Maurer said there was an intentional effort to balance historic preservation with modern technology and convenience, and those touches are evident throughout the structure.

Original tile mosaics line the floor, and the room�s wood paneling was restored and hung to line the walls, while areas Maurer called �technology pods� dot the lobby � each has a television and furniture, allowing people to group together and enjoy the space, Maurer said.

KASSI JACKSON ~ kjackson@semissourian.com A guest room of the new Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Downtown Cape Monday, Oct. 29, 2018, in Cape Girardeau.

And, he added, people driving by on Broadway can see into the lobby through the wide front windows, each framing its own pod.

Marble is shined to a high gloss, and ornate plasterwork was fully restored by St. Louis-based Borrelli Plastering & Sons earlier this year.

The vault�s door was restored by Jayson Jewelers, Maurer said, and the vault itself was fashioned into a tiny meeting room with five seats.

Overall, the look was meant to be ornate and inviting in the front lobby, and transitions from the elegant to the more industrial look of the full bar and cafe area, then into the rooms.

Since the historic preservationists wanted to keep the rough concrete beams and ceilings exposed in some areas, and the Marriott standards called for a more finished look, compromise was necessary, Maurer said.

KASSI JACKSON ~ kjackson@semissourian.com The front lobby area of the new Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Downtown Cape Monday, Oct. 29, 2018, in Cape Girardeau.

Colors, textures and patterns throughout the building are blended together to create a coherent feel, Maurer said, but some areas have a different feel.

The bar area has high-backed furniture, leather, dark tones and glass light fixtures, Maurer said, and the outdoor courtyard area�s metal fence mimics the bank vault�s door�s motif.

Behind the lobby, there�s a tower connecting the two buildings, new construction that houses an elevator and stairwell.

And the H-H Building really is in the shape of an H, Maurer said, which leads to a unique layout and interesting opportunities for views.

The H-H Building also has an elevator, original shafts with new elevator cars and workings, Maurer said.

�We wanted to preserve the original wherever we could,� Maurer said, and wherever guest room doors could be placed exactly where office-space doors had been, that was done.

It wasn�t always possible, he said, but where those offices were converted to guest rooms, translucent glass provides privacy while allowing light to stream through.

And in the wing where guest rooms were built out from what was once a Chevrolet dealership, Maurer said, the rooms are built to resemble a front porch entry.

The conference room can accommodate up to 70 people, Maurer said, which has been handy in training the hotel staff.

The hotel opened for business Thursday, Maurer said, and will hold a grand opening celebration from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday.

And the hotel has a lot to offer, he said, from the downtown experience to views of the Mississippi River, Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge and the neighboring Marquette Tower.

The building�s exterior brick was all tuck-pointed as part of the renovation process, and up-lighting at night brings out the texture, Maurer said.

Between the brick and the all-glass modern facade, he said, �It�s a nice contrast.�

And the landscaping around the porte-cochere � a covered, porch-like structure over the front entrance � makes for an inviting parking lot, which Maurer said he thinks is a great addition to the downtown area.

�This place was built luxuriously 100 years ago, but has today�s comfort and technology,� Maurer said of the new hotel.

The Hotel Marquette, formerly at 338 Broadway next door to the new Marriott, closed in July 1971, according to the Southeast Missourian archives.

Rates for a single room with one adult start around $150 per night, according to the hotel�s website.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630