Local lore suggests the cupola on the Common Pleas Courthouse came from the old St. Charles Hotel. The origin of this story is apparently the book, "Cape Girardeau: Biography of a City," by Felix E. Snider and Earl A. Collins. In a discussion of the St. Charles on page 226 is this statement, "The cupola was later incorporated into the old courthouse." There are no credited sources for this information.

In fact, several reasons suggest the St. Charles cupola was a separate structure from the surviving cupola on the Common Pleas Courthouse. Beverly Hahs' recent column provides much of the history of the St. Charles Hotel. Construction of the hotel began in 1838, and the original had the decorative cupola and several verandas providing views of the river. The earliest illustration shows it in the background of a drawing of Fort A in 1861. A second drawing, taking a bit of artistic license with the cupola, appeared in 1871. Both show a round cupola with narrow windows.

Local builder Joseph Lansman probably designed and built the Common Pleas Courthouse in 1854, in a vernacular style with Federalist influences. The original building had a plain hipped roof and lacked wings. Architect Jerome Legg directed renovations in 1888. Changes included two wing additions on the north and south, alteration of the exterior to a Classical Revival appearance -- including the addition of the cupola -- a portico on the front and a rear projection to the west. The cupola is square, with grouped arched windows. The supporting structure of the cupola has a diapered cornice with chevron designs. Renovations in 1959 designed by local architect John Boardman included an extension of the west wing.

Beverly's article provides a photo of the hotel published in 1898 with the courthouse in the background. The date of the photo is unknown, but would have been after the 1888 courthouse renovation. This is a key piece of evidence about the cupolas. Both buildings have cupolas. The timing of the removal of the hotel's cupola is unknown, but it was not moved to the Common Pleas Courthouse, nor were the materials in the hotel's cupola used to construct the cupola on the courthouse. The photographic evidence, timing of the addition of the cupola to the courthouse and incompatible differences in the designs of the two structures (round vs. square) rule out the likelihood of the re-purposing of the hotel's cupola.

So how did the story about moving the cupola from the hotel to the courthouse develop? Perhaps because the two buildings were among the few local buildings with cupolas in the late 1800s. Also, Jerome Legg was the architect for renovation of the courthouse in 1888 and consulted on the renovation of the hotel in 1895, perhaps confusing the two in many people's recollections. The exact date of the removal of the hotel's cupola is unknown but was after the 1888 courthouse changes and possibly when the hotel renovations occurred.