Written by Southeast Missouri State University Student Guest Blogger Laura Williams

This blog series is presented through a partnership between the Historic Preservation Commission of Cape Girardeau, the Historic Preservation Program at Southeast Missouri State University, and Old Town Cape.



       When Cape Girardeau County residents visit the Tax Assessors Office, located behind the Court of Common Pleas at 44 N. Lorimier St., they probably do not realize they are also visiting the original Cape Girardeau Carnegie Library. In 1914, shortly after the City opened its first public library in the Ellingood Building on the corner of Spanish and Themis, new conversations began about how to best fund and construct a bigger and more accessible building that would be able to accommodate the needs of the quickly growing town. Ideas became more substantial plans in 1916 when the Women’s Council of Clubs was the recipient of a $20,000 construction pledge from the Carnegie group for a new library building.  After WWI temporarily interrupted progress, the Women’s Council was able to retake the torch, and in 1921 the Carnegie Corporation reaffirmed its financial support for the project through a $25,000 donation, with the stipulation that the citizens must contribute the remaining $5,000 needed for the project. The residents of Cape Girardeau did more than just affirm their support for a new library building, but also proved their enthusiasm by raising $11,000, more than twice the necessary amount. 

            The original structure, finished in 1922, was one of the last libraries funded by the Carnegie Corporation. Costing $30,000 to construct, the Collegiate Gothic Style building features a flat roof with a limestone cornice line and window surround and red brick laid in the English bond pattern. In 1959, a new foyer designed by prolific architect and Cape Girardeau native John Boardman, was added onto the main entry, significantly altering the physical appearance. This addition had a much more modern architectural style, with a distinctive and prominent curved wall, made from rough-cut ashlar limestone. As the needs of the community continued to grow, the Public Library moved to its current location on Clark St. in 1980 and Cape Girardeau County took over the old building for offices.

            The old Carnegie Library building served the City of Cape Girardeau as a vital source of information and a repository for educational materials for almost 60 years and continues to serve the public’s needs today.

 Written by Guest Blogger Alyssa Phares, Cape Girardeau Convention & Visitors Bureau and President of the Cape Girardeau Historic Preservation Commission

This blog series is presented through a partnership between the Historic Preservation Commission of Cape Girardeau, the Historic Preservation Program at Southeast Missouri State University, and Old Town Cape.

Located at 805 Broadway in Cape Girardeau, the Broadway Theatre, a National Register of Historic Places property, stands vacant. The Broadway Theatre is significant in that it has contributed to Cape Girardeau’s entertainment and recreational history. The Broadway Theatre is the older of the two remaining historic theatres in Cape Girardeau and is the only surviving one from the silent film and vaudeville eras.

Some would say I am theatre obsessed. But really, it is this theatre that has me wrapped around its finger. I believe strongly in the power of historic preservation and community development. Community theatres provide and still provide a sense of place, a reason to interact socially and in the past they served as a recreational center for members and visitors. The Broadway Theatre was a part of Cape Girardeau’s community fabric from the time it was built in 1921 until it closed its doors for the first time in 1960. During its heyday the Broadway theatre offered a wide variety of entertainments such as style reviews, operettas, concerts, and various community organization activities.

Restoration of the historic Broadway Theatre would be a worthy and fitting project downtown revitalization project in Cape Girardeau. The potential value of a restored Broadway Theatre to Cape Girardeau’s social and cultural scene also cannot be overlooked. As in decades past the theatre could once again become the place to meet friends and be seen out in the community. A vibrant restored theatre brings a bit of big city feel to the smaller community.

 Patrons of the theatre could take their business to the Broadway Corridor for dining, shopping and leisurely strolls before and after events. The theatre could complement the recently built River Campus facility at Southeast Missouri State University and become a draw for heritage tourism.  Picture a lit-up marquee on a tree-lined Broadway avenue, pulsing with light, advertising the interesting events taking place within. It is for all of these reasons that This Place Matters to Cape Girardeau.

           Many of Cape Girardeau’s historic commercial buildings have housed various businesses. This coming and going of businesses is a natural part of a community’s evolution, adding layers to our cultural story. The building at 1127 Broadway is one such example. Currently, the building is home to the sports bar D’Ladiums, but it has also been a drug store, a grill, and a soda fountain.

            The building was originally constructed in 1929, and opened in 1930 as Dormeyer Pharmacy. In September of 1929, the Southeast Missourian reported that, “Plans are being made for construction of a large, modern Spanish-type drug store building on Broadway, just east of Henderson Avenue; Dormeyer Pharmacies is having one-story structure built of light-colored brick; in addition to prescription department, building will contain booths for seating 120 people and complete luncheon service will be offered.” To the right of the front entrance is a distinctive arched doorway. Now closed, this previously led down a set of stairs to the basement of the building. Originally, a soda fountain called “The Cellar” operated there, later being renamed “The Dungeon” and “The Marine Room.” According to the 1942 Cape Girardeau City Directory, Dormeyer Pharmacy, Crescent Cleaners, and USPO Station No 3 were all located at 1127 Broadway. In 1945, the directory lists Matthews Drug Store at that address, but from 1949-1955 it lists Evans Pharmacy. From 1956-1958 the address description was a simple and self- explanatory, “Vacant”.  

The building’s history took a sharp turn, when In October of 1959, the now legendary Jerry “Big Dog” Priest opened a pool hall called Paladium. Located directly across from the University’s Houck Field House, Paladium quickly became a pre/post game tradition for SEMO students. Priest was an excellent pool player and became quite the local legend. Priest started serving hot dogs, chili, and beer on tap. Many people have fond memories of “Big Dog” and the bar. Competitive pool was, and remains, a mainstay activity.  In 2004, the Dirnberger Investment Company bought the building and renamed the bar and pool hall D’Ladium’s but kept the atmosphere that everyone had come to love. 

Since 1974   the memorable and charismatic Jerry Beaver (known as Beaver or the Captain) has managed Pladium/D’Ladium’s. He also has a starring role in most patrons’ memories. You can usually find him directing the bar from his vintage barbershop chair. A cartoon Beaver with an outstretched beer is featured prominently on the exterior sign.  He has literally become a living mascot. The phrase, “The Pard Welcomes You” is featured on the sign and on memorabilia for sale inside. Jerry explained that this is a saying he came up with to greet his best friends. He said that a “Pard” is really just a word he coined for buddy or good friend. Although the story of D’ladiums is a legend in itself, without the historic building it calls home, many fond memories would not have happened.

This post is written by Kevin Taylor, Development & Resources Coordinator at Old Town Cape.

Renovations can revive historic buildings from a vacant and unattractive state and, when done right, can reveal a glimpse of the past. If you have driven down Broadway recently, you have probably noticed the work taking place on Philanthropy's façade. The building was once covered by a false stucco façade but has now been returned to its former glory.

The stucco finish is used to modernize buildings that were built decades ago and many people don't understand or take the time to learn what it takes to restore a historic property, so they take the easy way out. The building materials back then were very different than they are today, and it's important to understand how new materials will affect them before beginning work.

The first and most common mistake made when working with historic buildings is using the wrong mortar for tuck-pointing. Have you ever heard someone say "They don't make things like they used to?" Well, the same holds true with building materials. Most of today's material are manufactured in bulk and simply aren't built for strength. As a result, today's mortar is much too strong for historic buildings and when combined with stucco, an excessive amount of pressure is applied to the brick or stone, causing it to crack or spall.

However, E.T. Masonry, the company who performed the work on the A.C. Vasterling Building, knows how to do the job right. They began by taking a sample of the original mortar used on the façade and had it tested to find out the components of it. In doing so, they were able to make sure they used the right composition of mortar, so the façade wouldn't be harmed. The results came back and they determined that a Type O mortar should be used, which is composed of a softer material that will keep the stone safe.

Jay O'Neail also told me that he hasn't seen a building with the same material anywhere else in Cape Girardeau and understands the importance of preserving it. What was once believed to be a type of limestone is now believed to be Carthage stone, which is more of a marble and is very unique.

Preserving historic buildings can be very challenging and many do not understand the difference between those and new builds. Companies like E.T. Masonry help preserve our community by giving us a way to restore the past and give part of Cape Girardeau its history back. Philanthropy is based on giving back to the community, and now their façade is doing just that! This building is full of history and is a prime example of why historic preservation is important to downtown Cape.

This post is written by guest blogger, Kynli Smith, Intern at Old Town Cape.

Q: Who are you and when did you open the business?

A: My name is Kevin Priester and I opened West Bank Bistro in December 2012. We chose to open then to allow us enough time to work out the kinks before the Southeast Missouri State University students came back for the semester and business picked up.

Q: What makes your business unique?

A: Our venue sets us apart because it is a house that has been transformed into a unique dining experience and that gives West Bank Bistro a "home" feeling. The historic Huhn-Harrison House was built in 1905. It needed a lot of work in the beginning and we basically had to take it apart and put it back togethera again. But, we tried to recreate the original layout as close as possible.

Another unique charactertistic about West Bank Bistro is the variety of food and drinks options that we offer to our customers. My personal favorites are the iced coffee and Sweet & Smokey Turkey sandwich with a side of White Bean Ragoo Soup. But really any of our menu items are winners.

Q: Why did you choose to locate your business in downtown Cape?

A: I like historic buildings and I like coffee shops. I thought that a combination of the two would be a wonderful thing to bring to downtown Cape. The Southeast Missouri State University River Campus also played a big role in my decision to open the business where I did. I thought that it would be a great opportunity to appeal to the students and faculty that frequent the River Campus. Since opening, we have started displaying work from students in the business and became an acoustic venue for people to enjoy on First Friday and various nights throughout the month. There are so many talented people in this community and West Bank Bistro wants to be a place that they can use to hone in on their skills.

The two-story building located at 609 Broadway recently received some renovations and now houses a unique addition thanks to a couple who have a heart for downtwon Cape, but the story behind the building goes way back.

The building was originally owned by Phil Haman who decided to raze the one-story building, that housed his drugstore, in June 1927 in order to erect a new building at the same location. While the new building was under construction, Haman moved his drugstore to another location on Broadway. In June 1956, C.W. Bauerle purchased the buildling and business from Haman, who had decided to retire after 48 years of being a druggist. Since then, the building has had a few different owners and has been home to many businesses includuing an enterprise operation, a camera shop and a gun store.

Charlie Bertrand, antiquer and owner of Spanish Street Mercantile, originally visited the building last year with the intent of purchasing some old cabinets. Once he realized that all of the cabinets were still intact and that the space housed a lot of historical provenance, he decided that he didn't want to disrupt that. He also soon found out that the upstairs housed a few apartments that were immaculate, but dated.

After some thought on how to move forward, Charlie and his wife, Lisa, purchased the building in early 2012 from Robert and Linda Bohnsack with a vision for the space. The Bertrands had recently stayed in a few vacation rental properties in St. Louis and decided that downtown Cape was missing this element, so they started forming plans to make it happen.

Having done work at Cape's Cream of the Crust, an ice cream shop that is part of Spanish Street Mercantile, they already had the right people on board to carry out the renovations. Tim Roth, a local artist and wood worker, and Raymond Petzoldt, a local carpenter, completed the majority of the work between mid 2012 and early 2013. As Charlie tries to do with all of his projects, they were able to incorporate many unique features into the space including the tin ceiling tile from The Mule Lip that closed in the early 1980s, a banister from a farmhouse in Old Appleton and a desk that belonged to Mr. Haman, the original owner of the building.

The Broadway Loft opened for business in March 2013 and some unique guests have stayed there since, including members of the Native Americans' Water Walk and some of the crew that has been in town for the filming of Gone Girl. More information about the loft along with reservations can be found on Vacation Rentals by Owner and the Cape Girardeau Convention & Visitors Bureau website.

Up until about a year ago the historic A.C. Vasterling building at 407 Broadway was sitting dusty and empty. Some initial TLC was given to the building in 2012 by then owner Seymour Chilton and boutique owner Bridgett Kielhofner. After some renovations to the front retail section, Philanthropy, a women's boutique was opened in June of 2012.

Seymour had visions for the rest of the building, which stood with the majority still empty, unused and in need of an intense rehab, but he decided to sell the property instead.

Enter Cara Naeger and RJ Clements, a sister and brother duo, who run their family business, Clemco Development. Cara and RJ bought the building together 6 months ago, and hit the ground running with Architect, Rebecca Ward and major plans to overhaul the upper floors into luxury apartments aka Vasterling Suites. 

If you've driven Broadway lately, you've probably noticed that the façade of Philanthropy is being restored, too. The building qualified for historic tax credits, so Cara and RJ decided to take advantage of the credits and to adhere to historic standards for the rehab with the help of Rebecca. One of the requirements was to remove the stucco façade and to restore the historic façade that still laid underneath - most likely dating back to 1923 when the building was remodeled from 2 stories to 3. (Pretty exciting for a history nerd like myself!)

I first met Cara about a month ago at Vasterling Suites in the midst of construction and clean up. She met me at the entrance with rushed enthusiasm and paint-stained jeans, and explained that they had to have construction finished in a matter of days for the first tenants arrival date - July 1st. We took a quick tour of the building going through studio apartment options, one bedrooms, artist suites and even a two bedroom so I could get a feel for the place. Historically, she said the building used to house a sausage shop, bowling alley and a rumored underground tavern. 

I visited the Vasterling Suites again on Friday with some of the Old Town Cape crew to take photos of the freshly finished apartments. This time Cara and RJ both took us through the suites. RJ was enjoying the "day off" although we hardly believed he was taking a vacation day while on location. We were all so impressed with the slick work that Clemco Development did in just 6 months. The apartments are beautiful and trendy, and still have some neat, historic details in tact including charming trim throughout the building and original fire doors that now serve as industrial hallway decor.

This is Cara and RJ's first project downtown. They chose downtown and the historic rehab because they love downtown and wanted to contribute something great to the community. In our eyes they've more than accomplished that. More specifically they've created a truly unique living space for some very lucky tenants. 

While so much has been accomplished there are still more plans for the property including an outdoor courtyard, fitness center and additional first floor apartments to name a few. We're really grateful to have another living option downtown, and to see a once vacant, historic structure returned to its shining glory.

If you're interested, apartments are still available for rent ranging from $590 - $990 depending on size and # of rooms. Several amenities are included, and they have the coolest washer and dryers in town - they text you when your laundry is done! Another fun perk is that tenants get 10% off at Philanthropy. Give the Vasterling Suites office number a call at 888.346.0543 and press 1 for Leasing Details. You can also check out the Micro Luxury Apartment here.

Read more about this project on Rebecca Ward's blog, Uncovering the Past.

Author: Toni Eftink is a Project Manager at Element 74 where she leads custom web projects. She has a huge love for downtown Cape Girardeau and small businesses. You can find her on Google+ and Twitter.