PRESERVATION COMMISSION WANTS GRANT

The Historic Preservation Commission of Cape Girardeau hopes a state grant will enable it to draft a blueprint for local preservation efforts.

The city council has signed off on the grant application to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Historic Preservation Program.

The grant would provide more than $15,000 to identify historic structures in the city and encourage their preservation.

John Schneider, chairman of the Historic Preservation Commission, said Thursday that the grant, if approved, will help focus the commission's efforts.

"What we're really trying to do with this preservation movement is to keep the memory of Cape Girardeau alive in everybody's minds," Schneider said. "By developing a sort of overall master plan for the preservation program in Cape Girardeau, we hope to do that."

Schneider said the grant would fund work to combine several architectural surveys that have been taken over the years. Also, efforts to educate the community about historic preservation would be increased in the plan.

Patrick Steele, president of Crossroads Preservation and a specialist in historic renovation, will work with the commissioners to train them in various phases of preservation and effective ways to identify historical structures, Schneider said.

The plan will culminate in two workshops for building rehabilitation enthusiasts. One seminar would deal with brick-work and the other with woodwork restoration.

"The grant requires a local match and a lot of the in-kind work will be done by the commissioners themselves along with Patrick," Schneider said. "I think the commission is very fortunate to have the opportunity to secure a person with such fine credentials as (Steele).

"He has extensive background in historic preservation, and he's going to work with us in putting this program together."

City Planner Kent Bratton said the city will know sometime prior to the end of the year whether the state will award the grant to Cape Girardeau. He said the application is an attempt by the commission to better coordinate preservation work in the city.

"They had reached a point where they felt they wanted a general plan that would give some focus to their program," Bratton said. "They have talked in the past about getting some grant assistance from the state, and it looks like they have a good chance of getting that this year."

The Historic Preservation Commission, in its fourth year, presently is considering three or four buildings for local historic landmark designation, Schneider said.

But, he added, the commission's work to date barely scratches the surface of Cape Girardeau's rich architectural history.

"There might be a couple hundred historic buildings or even more than that in the city," he said. "I've been told Boonville (situated between St. Louis and Columbia) has something like 400 landmark designations.

"We've got that kind of potential," Schneider added. "It's really a matter of bringing awareness to the public of the things we have in the city."

Schneider said the commission is hopeful the grant will be awarded. The next grant application likely will be for restoration of Old Lorimier Cemetery.

"We are eligible for this grant as a result of being a Certified Local Government," he said. "The last I heard there were 18 cities in Missouri that qualify for this grant.

"I think people are going to look favorably on this one, but then again it is a competitive grant."

Included in the grant application were endorsements from several local organizations, including: the Downtown Homeowner's Association; the Historical Association of Greater Cape Girardeau; the historic preservation program at Southeast Missouri State University; and the Colonial Cape Girardeau Foundation.