Plans in the works to save Esquire Theater on Broadway in Cape

A plan to redevelop the historic but long-vacant Esquire Theater has Cape Girardeau civic leaders singing its praises and predicting this project could succeed where other efforts have failed.

Developer Cara Naeger has proposed renovating the building as a concert venue for local and touring bands.

Old Town Cape executive director Marla Mills said Tuesday plans call for installing flexible seating, allowing the structure to also serve as a venue for weddings, corporate events and art shows.

Mills said the revitalization organization has been working with Nager�s TAG Development company from Bloomsdale, Missouri, to bring the shuttered theater at 824 Broadway back to life.

Old Town Cape and the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce have helped lay the groundwork for the proposed development, including work on a feasibility study.

�We have been working with them for a long time,� Mills said, adding a lot of research has gone into the proposed project.

The developer has been studying the idea for at least two years, Mills said.

Naeger�s company plans to own, redevelop and manage the venue, Mills said.

�It will be a multipurpose venue,� she said.

The vacant Esquire Theater on Broadway is seen Tuesday in Cape Girardeau.BEN MATTHEWS

Naeger, Mills and chamber president John Mehner disclosed the project during a city council study session Monday.

�We have a passion for restoration,� Naeger told the council. �It is a unique space.�

She called it �a high-risk project.�

Mills said the 71-year-old building needs major renovations.

�There are definitely some roof issues,� she said the day after the council session.

The vacant Esquire Theater on Broadway is seen Tuesday in Cape Girardeau.BEN MATTHEWS

Mills said the developer is looking at obtaining historic tax credits to help with the project.

Mehner said financial incentives would be key to implementing the project.

Mills wants to see the building saved.

�Should we lose it, we lose a connection to our past,� she said.

Construction of the once-grand movie theater, which featured more than a mile of neon lights, began in 1946. It opened in January 1947 with male ushers guiding patrons down the aisles for a showing of �Blue Skies,� starring Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire and Joan Caulfield.

A local landmark, the theater showed movies for nearly four decades. It closed in October 1984.

The inside of the Esquire Theater is seen Oct. 17, 2011, in Cape Girardeau.Southeat Missourian file

It briefly reopened as a movie theater in 1986, offering second-run movies at discounted prices.

The brick building housed a teen center for a few months in 1989 before becoming vacant again.

The vacant Esquire Theater on Broadway is seen Tuesday in Cape Girardeau.BEN MATTHEWS

In 2011, developer John Buckner announced a $2.4 million plan to renovate the two-story structure and reopen it as a 500-seat, art-house theater that would show independent movies. But the project never materialized and Buckner subsequently left town amid questions about financial woes.

Mayor Harry Rediger said in 2012 that Buckner �was more talk than he was substance.�

The vacant theater, featuring an art-deco facade, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

It has been on the Cape Girardeau Historic Preservation Commission�s list of endangered buildings since 2012.

Mehner said Monday he is �excited about the opportunity� for redevelopment of the historic building.

Project details still must be worked out, Mehner said.

Even so, Mehner and Mills are optimistic this project will happen and the Esquire Theater once again will shine on Broadway.

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

Pertinent address:

824 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo.