HOTEL MAKES 'MOST ENDANGERED' LIST

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- A preservationist group's new list of Missouri's "most endangered" historic places includes shuttered hotels, neglected church buildings and decaying railroad depots.

The list of 10 structures or places "highlights the variety of architectural resources we have in our state, because these are all historic and worth saving," Deb Sheals, president of the Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation, said Sunday.

It includes the Marquette Hotel in Cape Girardeau and a deteriorating hotel in St. Joseph; churches in Kansas City and Glasgow that are still used for worship but badly need major repairs; and strings of buildings in historic areas of Springfield and Jefferson City.

The alliance released the list of "most endangered" places during its annual statewide preservation conference in Ste. Genevieve, a French Colonial settlement that showcases preserved structures dating to the late 1700s.

The list is intended to draw attention to the specific sites and to the nonprofit alliance's statewide goal of preserving historic structures, Sheals said.

The designation means the alliance "is ready to help" by providing expert assessments for restoration or new uses for some of the places on the list. The alliance could also put property listings on its Internet site, which might link sellers with buyers interested in historic preservation, Sheals said.

"They are all important properties and there is a wide variety on the list, and that reflects our view it doesn't have to be a major, multimillion-dollar property," she said.

For example, the list includes the sprawling Grand Avenue Temple, a "Mother Church of Methodism" in Kansas City, and the smaller Campbell Chapel A.M.E. Church in Glasgow, founded by freed slaves in 1860.

Spanish influence on hotel

The Marquette Hotel, which sits at the corner of Broadway and Fountain streets, was built in 1928 and is one of few Spanish-influenced buildings constructed in the city.

The six-story hotel has been vacant since 1981 and was condemned last summer. City officials want the property to be cleaned up or demolished because the empty elevator shafts, unstable marquees and falling bricks could pose a danger. Costs of renovation could be between $2 million and $7 million. Demolition would likely cost the city $1 million.

Carol Bullock, daughter of Thad Bullock, has been trying to find a buyer for the property, which has a $700,000 price tag, and has said she would renovate the lobby herself to keep the building open.

In March, the city council granted her a 60-day extension for developing plans to renovate the building.

The Fine-Eiler Farm homestead, surrounded by unspoiled acreage in fast-developing south St. Louis County, may date to Missouri's statehood.

Four neighboring residential properties near the Capitol in Jefferson City are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, but demolition permits have been sought, the alliance said.

The list doesn't rank the sites in a particular order, Sheals said, because "historic architecture comes in many shapes and sizes."

About 150 guests were registered for the alliance's weekend conference in Ste. Genevieve.

ENDANGERED SITES

The state's 10 "most endangered historic places for 2001," as compiled by the Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation:

* Marquette Hotel, 338 Broadway, downtown Cape Girardeau.

* St. Charles Hotel, 301-307 S. Fifth Street, St. Joseph.

* Grand Avenue Temple, 205 E. Ninth St., Kansas City.

* Campbell Chapel A.M.E Church, 604 Commerce St., Glasgow.

* Meramec Highlands "Frisco" Railroad Station, Kirkwood.

* Louisiana Chicago and Alton Railroad Depot, 801 S. Third St., Louisiana, Mo.

* Midtown National Register Historic District, Springfield.

* Fine-Eiler farm, near Oakville, in south St. Louis County.

* George Washington Carver School, Fulton.

* Houses at 207, 211, 215 and 221 W. McCarty St., Jefferson City.