Pincksten's newest renovation project: 328 S. Spanish St.

Every time Kenny Pincksten completes a renovation of a historic building, he promises himself it will be the last.

He has yet to keep this promise.

Pincksten has a track record of restoring older buildings. Through his development firm, Prestige Development, he renovated the Vasterling Building, a two-story, 143-year-old structure at the corner of Broadway and Sprigg Street.

He also is responsible for the renovation of 701 William St., which was most recently a Midwest Auto Sales, and originally was a gas station and Buick dealership.

Now Pincksten has purchased 328 S. Spanish St., just north of the old Mississippi River Bridge monument.

Kenny Pincksten on Friday discusses the renovations he has planned for the house at 328 S. Spanish St. in Cape Girardeau.Glenn Landberg

According to the Missouri National Register of Historic Places listings, the multifamily colonial revival home is 101 years old. The house sits next to two other homes that look architecturally similar. But unlike the other two homes, Pincksten’s new property is in disrepair.

With broken windows, a worn and failing roof and a collapsing two-story porch, it’s clear from first glance Pincksten has his work cut out for him. Inside the 2 1/2-story brick building, the wallpaper is peeling from the walls, wiring hangs dangerously from the ceilings, and wasps have made a home in the attic.

But Pincksten looks for bright sides.

“The trim is in good shape,” Pincksten said.

He’s sincere in his sentiment, having seen trim destroyed or painted over dozens of times with lead-based paint, rendering it unsalvageable. But standing in a hot room filled with dusty furniture and paperwork left behind by previous owners, the trim and the pocket doors are indications the craftsmanship of the original home can be appreciated again.

A look at the deteriorated house at 328 S. Spanish St. on Friday.Glenn Landberg

The exterior, he said, needs obvious but relatively easy work: A new roof and new porch. But the brick is strong, he said.

In June, he removed dozens of trees and cleared the overgrown yard. Now he is ready to plan for the future of the building.

The building is designed for a family on each floor, and Pincksten hopes to restore it to be rented out as apartments or perhaps a retail space on the first floor and an apartment on the second. At this point, he said, it’s too early to tell.

If renovation is impossible, he said, the building likely will need to come down. But he is confident he can restore it to its former glory. After all, he said, he’s seen worse.

“The Vasterling Building was 500 times worse,” he said.

Pincksten praised the city of Cape Girardeau and the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce for their support of renovation projects such as his.

“They realize this is good for the community,” Pincksten said.

Pincksten said renovation projects such as the one he hopes to carry out on 328 S. Spanish St. are “rewarding, but not lucrative.”

He’s not using tax credits or federal funds to help restore the building. For him, as a Cape Girardeau native, it’s just a matter of nostalgia.

“It’s part of being a hometown boy,” Pincksten said.

bbrown@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address:

328 S. Spanish St., Cape Girardeau