A downtown Cape Girardeau building constructed in the early 1900s will have a new life and purpose. Commonly referred to as the Green Warehouse at 11-15 S. Spanish, it was renamed earlier this month by its new owners as the Alliance Building.

The Spanish Street building is one of several structures in the downtown area that will be or have undergone renovation during the past year.

"We decided to call it the Alliance Building because it will house an alliance of artisans, craftsmen and furniture fabrication arts, all under one roof," explained Maryanne Kellerman of Cape Girardeau. "Our interest in the building is that it is the only one of its kind in Cape Girardeau that has pressed metal components on the front.

"It is of a commercial, Itallanate style, with cornice work around the edge of the roof. The entire front facade is made of pressed metal. The building also has a wonderful, old platform elevator with rope and hand pulley."

Kellerman said she and her husband, Bert, plan to use one half of the two-story building for classic furniture fabrication by skilled craftsmen and artisans. The rest of the building would be devoted to businesses dealing with design-related activities. The second floor will be converted into two luxury rental apartments with rooftop terraces.

Kellerman said Ann Brotherton will be the design coordinator at the Alliance Building and Randy Powers will supervise the furniture fabrication project and much of the building restoration work. Cape Girardeau architect John Boardman will also be involved with the project, she said.

She said plans are now under way to nominate the old building for the National Registry of Historic Places.

Maryanne Kellerman has a doctorate degree in interior design, and teaches interior design at Southeast Missouri State University. Kellerman developed the university's commercial and residential interior-design program. Bert Kellerman's doctorate degree is in marketing. He is also a member of the university faculty.

Meanwhile, several Main Street business buildings already have a new exterior or interior look.

The interior of C.P. McGinty Jewelers has been completely remodeled, said owner Chuck McGinty. "We decided to remodel after making the decision to consolidate all of our efforts into custom design jewelry," McGinty said. "Also, we needed a larger privacy area in our workshop so we could work uninterrupted."

McGinty said a unique part of the remodeling project, and the idea that resulted in the remodeling, is the White Room. It's a specially-designed room for viewing and selling of precious-gem stones. McGinty said the entire room and all furnishings and equipment are painted white so as not to interfere with the color of the gem being displayed for the customer.

Leland J. "Freck" Shivelbine said the purpose of a remodeling project at Shivelbine's Music, 535 Broadway, was to provide a better atmosphere for the display of merchandise. "We wanted a more modern, contemporary look to the inside of the store," he explained.

"We installed slot walls for better displays, added a number of additional rooms on the second floor for demonstration of sound equipment, another room for drum sets, and a room for trade-in merchandise," said Shivelbine. "We also installed new carpeting over all of the first floor."

Shivelbine said this is the first major remodeling of the store since it moved to 535 Broadway in 1969.

Customers who go into Zickfield's Jewelers, 29 N. Main, will also notice a new look to the interior of the building. "We wanted to put forth as nice a presentation as we can, with a good looking building and a pleasant atmosphere to shop in," said Zickfield. "We installed a marble entryway, rewallpapered and recarpeted the interior, and have just completed installing new inserts in our display cases that give the interior a complete new color combination and a totally new look."

Another downtown building that has a totally new look on the outside and inside is the Chrisman Art Gallery & Outfitters, 34 N. Main. Owner David Vinson resituated the gallery from the West Park Mall to Main Street a year ago. Vinson said he decided to make the move because he was able to remodel the exterior and interior of the building, something he could not do at the mall. Vinson said remodeling gives the gallery a more attractive setting and enables him to handle a wider variety of merchandise.

Another downtown building with a new look is Office Furniture World, 20 N. Main. The store opened in February 1991, in the former Montgomery Ward building. The owner is Frank Klueppel of Cape Girardeau. The 40,000-square-foot building handles previously-owned office furniture.