SEMO sells historic Cape home; home up for sale again

A Cape Girardeau historical landmark is on the market.

The Huhn-Harrison house at 340 S. Lorimier St. in Cape Girardeau was sold by the Southeast Missouri State University Foundation and has now been put up for sale to the public, real estate agent Thomas M. Meyer said.

The one-and-a-half-story Queen Anne-style house was built in 1905. It remained in the family of B.W. Harrison until his death in 2004, at which time it was given to the university foundation along with $800,000 that was used to begin work on the River Campus.

Meyer represented the sale to a private party in June. According to Bill Holland, the university foundation's executive director, the property was sold to Mike and Paula Haas and Quinn Strong.

"Their original intent was to restore it, but as most economic decisions have been made recently, they decided to put in on the market for resale. After a period of time, if it doesn't sell, they will likely restore it," Meyer said.

Holland said it was also his understanding that the property would be restored. The university foundation used proceeds from the sale to fund scholarships for River Campus students, which Holland said was what the foundation board felt was the best use of the money in accordance with Harrison's wishes.

"The university has great respect for Mr. Harrison, and the River Campus wouldn't be there without his support," Holland said. "The gift of his home was very generous; however, when we received the property, it needed more money for maintenance than the foundation could put into it."

Holland said the cost of restoring the house and bringing it up to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act would have cost more than the property was worth.

The amount the foundation received in the sale was not available Wednesday.

University officials said last year there were no plans for the property and no plans to tear down the house. The house is on the National Register of Historic Places and has been named a historic landmark by the Cape Girardeau City Council.

According to Holland, Harrison's donation of the house had no restrictions.

Meyer said there have been some promising showings of the property and that the current owners would only sell to someone who intends to restore it.

Stephen Hoffman, the historic preservation coordinator at the university and a volunteer adviser of the city's Historic Preservation Commission, said restoration would not take a huge amount of work.

"Sitting vacant for a few years has caused deterioration, but ultimately it is in really good shape, considering its age," he said.

Leslie Hazelwood, who recently began freelance writing for the Southeast Missourian, looked at the house in July with her husband, Daniel. They have a small real estate management company, Hazelwood Properties LLC, and own several Cape Girardeau rental homes.

Leslie Hazelwood said they concluded it would probably require more work and money than they could handle. The asking price on the property is $109,900.

"With that price and the way it is now, we couldn't see it happening," she said.

She said they noticed the house would likely need a new roof, new windows, a heating and cooling system and repairs to the porches.

What they liked was that the entire upstairs was unfinished and could become bedrooms, and that the location near the River Campus would be ideal for River Campus students looking to rent.

eragan@semissourian.com

388-3627

Pertinent address:

340 S. Lorimier St., Cape Girardeau, MO

One University Plaza, Cape Girardeau, MO