A new hotel at Century Casino Cape Girardeau

Editor's note: The following remarks were delivered by Lyle Randolph at the groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday for the new downtown hotel at Century Casino Cape Girardeau. They have been edited for length.

By Lyle Randolph

Today, we meet here to celebrate with our friends and colleagues. Some from across the street, others from across the world, all of us gathered here at this place. Together, we will break ground and mark the start of construction of another important development in downtown Cape Girardeau -- the hotel at Century Casino.

This day, May 26, 2022, will mark not only the construction of a new building, but will signify a change in the landscape of our community for decades to come.

From this day forward, as construction commences, travelers crossing the bridge into our community will pan across the riverfront to see the wonderful River Campus, the historic courthouse, the downtown buildings; and then, a little further upriver, a new structure rising up above the flood wall.

Visitors gazing north from the historic corner of Themis and Main will also soon see this new structure -- peaking slightly over the ridge of north Main, providing a new backdrop for our picturesque downtown clock.

And for those residents who see this neighborhood as home, it is the return of another mighty structure that once stood at this place.

You see, it was about 106 years ago that the Cape Girardeau Commercial Club, the predecessor of today's Chamber of Commerce, first developed this property. The club raised $60,000 to build a five-story factory building on this site. The club in turn gave the ground and building to a St. Louis company, in exchange for the company's commitment to utilize the building as a shoe factory.

The factory building that once stood here was constructed by Penzel Construction, the same construction company that will act as general contractor on our new hotel, well over a century later.

The shoe factory operated on this location for nearly 80 years. The building, which at one time bore a large sign advertising "Star Brand Shoes," was the core of this neighborhood. So much so, that the neighborhood derived its name from the red painted star in the sign on the factory. The neighborhood was, and still is, known as Red Star.

But times change and by the 1980s, the factory closed, and the property fell into disrepair. Once again, the Chamber of Commerce, along with the city and other forward thinking-citizens, stepped in with a plan to redevelop this property. I won't tell that full story, but if you have a chance to sit down with former Mayor Rediger, or David Knight, or Jim Riley, you can hear how it came to pass that 11 years ago, on March 31, 2011, shovels broke ground in this very place for the construction of the casino.

As I look out today, I see several faces that were present for that event. I am very happy to see you here again today, helping us celebrate this next important step.

This step to build a hotel has been years in the making. While discussions have been ongoing essentially since the property opened, the primary movement to make it a reality began after the casino was purchased in 2019 by Century Casinos.

Century Casinos saw the opportunity here and provided the leadership to begin this development process in earnest. Market studies and analysis were conducted and then several design concepts were considered. Our local team then brought on regional experts to assist in the next phases.

Kuhlman Design Group, the firm that designed the original casino project here in Cape, was again brought on for this hotel design. Navigate Building Solutions was engaged as an owner's representative -- similar to the function they performed in the recent projects at the Cape County Courthouse and the refurbishment of the Common Pleas building for City Hall. And, Penzel Construction was selected to serve as general contractor on the project.

It has taken close teamwork and valuable partnerships to bring us to this point. This would not have been accomplished without the dedicated efforts of our internal staff, the commitment from the Century Casinos Board of Directors, the vision and expertise of the architect and construction teams, the guidance from our community leaders, and the ongoing support from all of you, our neighbors and friends.

Our new hotel at Century Casino Cape Girardeau will be six stories tall. The first floor will contain the hotel lobby and conference room. The upper five floors will contain 69 hotel rooms with suites located on the top floor. These suites will consist of four two-room suites and one presidential suite. The majority of rooms will overlook the Mississippi River and directly face the center of the bridge. New exterior access to Beacon 53 will be added through an impressive, curved stairway. The estimated cost of the project is $26 million and the estimated completion is by the end of 2023.

As we break ground today, we are building for the future.

We are building in hopes that it will inspire others to do the same.

We are building a magnificent space that will enhance the vibrancy of community.

We are building a place that will exceed the expectations of our guests for years to come.

We are building this hotel knowing that, as we turn this dirt, our downtown, the Red Star neighborhood, the city of Cape Girardeau and Century Casinos will be made better because of it.

Thank you!

Let us turn some dirt and get this project started!

Lyle Randolph is the vice president of operations and general manager at Century Casino Cape Girardeau.