Preservation board places Common Pleas Courthouse Annex on endangered buildings list

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been altered to correct Andrew Carnegie's date of death.

The Common Pleas Courthouse Annex in Cape Girardeau could be in jeopardy once county offices vacant the building, the local Historic Preservation Commission warns.

The commission recently placed the annex on its annual list of endangered buildings. In all, 15 buildings are on the list. The annex is one of three structures added to the list this year. The others are houses at 207 N. Henderson Ave. and 531 N. Fountain St.

Built as a Carnegie Library in 1921 and opened in 1922, the brick annex was one of the last Carnegie libraries ever built, according to the commission's report.

"The Carnegie Foundation had stopped accepting requests for construction of libraries following Andrew Carnegie's death in 1919, but the library in Cape Girardeau was allowed to be built because negotiations for its construction started while Mr. Carnegie was still alive," the commission said in its 2018 endangered buildings report.

In 1959, a "modernist addition" was constructed on the front facade, the report said.

As a result, the building was considered a "noncontributing resource" when the adjacent courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010, according to the report.

The annex served as Cape Girardeau's public library until 1980. It since has been used for Cape Girardeau County offices.

But the county government plans to vacate the building within a few years and return offices to Jackson once a new justice center is built in Jackson, the commission said in its report.

"The imminent vacancy may leave the once-prominent building in jeopardy if it does not fit with future plans for the courthouse grounds," the commission said.

City planner Ryan Shrimplin said, "It is questionable whether or not it is something that needs to remain." But the commission's Alyssa Phares told the Southeast Missourian in an email, "It is important for us to include all types of properties on the endangered buildings list. Buildings may be culturally, architecturally or historically important to telling the entire story of Cape Girardeau. The annex is a great, tangible remnant of Carnegie's legacy."

Phares added, "With the future of the offices located in the annex unknown, along with the future of the courthouse, we felt putting the annex on the list was a logical choice to make."

Shrimplin said the annex was added to the endangered buildings list out of a "general concern" about what the future may hold for the building.

As of now, Shrimplin said there are no plans by the city to demolish the structure, but that could change.

City officials have discussed the possibility of moving city hall into the Common Pleas Courthouse. The city is looking at hiring a company to do a feasibility study, which would include looking at possible uses for the annex.

Whether the annex stays or goes "will probably depend on the results of the study," Shrimplin said.

City manager Scott Meyer said the city has received proposals from firms seeking to do the study. The proposals are being evaluated. A final hiring decision would rest with the city council, Meyer said.

Meyer said the study would explore the feasibility of renovating the existing city hall, relocating to the Common Pleas Courthouse or another building, or constructing a new city hall.

The city manager said he hopes the study could begin within the next few months.

Built in 1937 as an elementary school, the city government has used the building at 401 independence St. as city hall since 1978, having moved from the Common Pleas Courthouse.

City officials have said the Independence Street building lacks an elevator and has a worn-out heating and cooling system that would be costly to replace.

As for the annex, Shrimplin said placing the annex on the endangered buildings list will bring public awareness to the structure and start the conversation about what its future should be.

"The commission felt the timing was right," he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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