Updated design, renderings for City Hall presented to Cape City Council

Plans and designs for Cape Girardeau City Hall were presented by project manager Anna Kangas to members of City Council via Zoom video conference call Monday night, along with renderings of how the project may look once completed.

Kangas opened her presentation by providing historical information about the Common Pleas Courthouse, which dates back to 1854, previously housed county offices and is designated on the National Register of Historic Places.

The presentation largely consisted of recently-made design decisions for the project, which aim to allow for the construction of a modern municipal facility while maintaining the views associated with the historic site.

Kangas also outlined plans for a parking garage to be constructed on the southern portion of the 4.56-acre site, which would include one level of underground parking for city and staff vehicles and one above-ground level for public parking.

The facility’s designs also include plans for new Cape Girardeau City Council chambers to be housed in the soon-to-be-built addition, and would seat the council members before a sprawling window-view of downtown.

An artist rendering of plans for the new Cape Girardeau City Hall, as viewed from Lorimier Street.Submitted by TreanorHL

The construction plans also include the addition of an elevator, and various adjustments to Spanish and Lorimier streets to provide increased lighting and Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant pathways to the building.

The ongoing project has a budget of $12 million — half of which is funded by a Capital Improvement sales tax passed in 2019, and the other half of which is funded by city revenue generated by Century Casino Cape Girardeau.

Mayor Bob Fox said he hoped to hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the project later this summer, even if it will be a socially-distant one.

“Even if we have to stand 6 feet apart ... we’ll make it happen,” Fox said.

Under the project’s current timeline, a panel discussion will be held in May before the Historic Preservation Commission. The completion of asbestos remediation in the Common Pleas Courthouse and a formal response from the State Historic Preservation Office are expected in June, and the demolition of the site’s existing parking lot south of the Annex is scheduled for June or July.