Plans underway to repair partially collapsed building

Plans are in place for the future of the building at 633 Good Hope St. in Cape Girardeau whose streetside face collapsed last month.

The building was condemned and July 23, the city issued a 30-day notice to owner Jeremy Ford, informing him that within a month, the building needed to be repaired or demolished.

Ford also owns the two buildings on either side of the condemned property and operates Oasis Hookah Lounge and Cafe at 310 S. Sprigg St. Ford said he has decided to convert the space into a beer garden and incorporate it as part of the hookah lounge.

He had been trying to obtain a liquor license for his establishment to broaden its appeal before the university crowd returns in the fall.

"We've been really popular with students so far," he said. "Because it's a place where you can be out with your friends even if you're not of age, but this way, the people who are can have a drink, too."

But the lounge and the vacant building have a problematic relation: They're attached.

"The buildings are all kind of connected in a way," he said. "[The hookah lounge's] part of the building has always been fine, but the other part had some problems."

Even though the building at 633 Good Hope St. was unused and the lounge portion at 310 S. Sprigg St. was the occupied space, the buildings' construction complicated the process.

When he tried to obtain a liquor license for the hookah lounge, Ford says city officials found the brickwork on the adjacent building was bowed slightly and needed to be fixed before the license could be issued.

Ford explained the concern arose from a rain gutter malfunction that had caused water to erode the mortar on the north face of the building. He hired a bricklayer to fix it, but the damage proved too extensive and the wall collapsed in the process.

The building was vacant and no one was injured in the collapse, although residents of the adjacent buildings were temporarily evacuated. Upon inspection, 633 Good Hope St. was condemned and Ford was forced to close the hookah lounge until he can get it fixed.

The city will schedule an inspection later this month to assess the safety of the building, and if it is still found unsuitable, protocol includes additional notice and a hearing with the building supervisor, according to the Cape Girardeau department of development services.

Ford is hiring a contractor to fix the condemned building so he can open back up and then work on making it into an auxiliary space for the lounge. He's planning on opening the hookah lounge again before students migrate back to Cape Girardeau, and said he's excited about the new additions.

"It should be back open in about two weeks," he said. "Three weeks tops. We can't wait to get back open."

tgraef@semissourian.com

Pertinent address:

633 Good Hope St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.

310 S. Sprigg St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.