Historic preservation expert has roots in Southeast Missouri

For having the right to boast about her part in the transformation of the A.C. Vasterling building, a previously abandoned and foreclosed structure built in 1903 on the corner of Broadway and Fountain Street in Cape Girardeau, architect Rebecca Ward is humble and not a fan of the attention.

Put her near an old building, however, and she points out details missed by most, such as the location of an outlet, the makeup of an old door or a crack at the bottom of a pillar.

Ward grew up in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, before leaving the Show Me State to earn a degree from the University of Kansas and a master's degree in historic preservation from Georgia State University. She has been in the architecture field for about 30 years and has tackled projects across the United States, including in Texas, Georgia and Florida.

Her proudest project so far is her work on the Drury Plaza Hotel Riverwalk in downtown San Antonio. Ward worked for Drury Hotels at the time, and took part in one of Drury Southwest's largest projects.

The building was built as a bank in the late 1920s and early 1930s, complete with a 25-story office tower on the top of the bank structure.

The building had been in a bank's control until the 1980s, and though some of the levels had been somewhat modernized, many kept the original floors, doors and woodwork -- all things Ward loves.

"The neat thing about it was most of it was still in original condition," she said. "It was really good bones to work with."

The completed project took more than two years.

After bouncing around from state to state doing architectural work, including working with a nationally renowned golf clubhouse architect, Ward returned to Southeast Missouri in 2007.

A project Ward is known for locally is her preservation and design work on the A.C. Vasterling building, a former hotel that now houses the Vasterling Suites and a women's boutique, Philanthropy.

Renovation on the building began in 2012 with Philanthropy, and was taken to the next level in February 2013 after the building was bought by its current owners, brother and sister R.J. Clements and Cara Naeger, who run their family business, Clemco Development. The duo remodeled the upper floors of the building and courtyard, turning them into modern-but-historic luxury apartments in the center of downtown.

The building qualified for historic tax credits to assist with its rehab, a sort-of specialty for Ward.

To qualify for a historic tax credit, required restoration of the building's original limestone facade was finished earlier this month. The resurfacing of the original storefront was estimated to take three weeks, but needed six weeks. Work was delayed because of the state of the limestone behind the stucco that donned the building, Ward said in a previous Southeast Missourian interview. After uncovering the limestone, crews realized it was in worse condition than anticipated.

Working with historic tax credits is something that play's into many of Ward's projects, she admitted, because she enjoys working with older buildings and the history they hold.

"The construction is so much different," Ward said of working on historic structures. "They did things that we cannot possibly afford to do anymore. The craftsmanship is just amazing."

Wood today often comes from trees grown on tree farms, where the trees grow fast so lumber companies can make money fast, Ward said.

The woodwork of older buildings, she gave as an example, is wood that can't be found anymore because it is "old-growth" wood, meaning it came from trees that were grown in a forest where they fought for light and grew slower, thereby making denser and more substantial wood.

Working with people who also care about history and the integrity of old buildings is what Ward enjoys most about her job.

Historic preservation of buildings is important because "it is our history," Ward said. "It's our heritage. It tells us who we are, and where we're from, and kind of grounds us."

Pertinent addresses:

407 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, MO

151 N. Fountain St., Cape Girardeau, MO