Crews battle fire at former Broadway Theatre

Multiple fire crews battled a blaze Wednesday evening at the former Broadway Theatre in downtown Cape Girardeau.

New Broadway Theater. Undated postcard.Southeast Missourian archives

According to Cape Girardeau Fire Department battalion chief Brad Dillow, at approximately 5:30 p.m., crews responded to a report of smoke at the building, 805-809 Broadway. Upon arrival, crews saw heavy smoke and flames showing from the second floor. Crews had the fire extinguished at approximately 6:30 p.m.

Children can be seen peaking through the front door of the Broadway Theater in this early 1920s picture, which provides a good view of the south side of Broadway in the 800 block. The movie "Proxies" was released in 1921, but the White-Myers Chautauqua advertised in the street banner played Cape Girardeau in 1920.Southeast Missourian archives

No injuries were reported at the scene.

Broadway Theater after remodeling in 1938.G.D. Fronabarger ~ Southeast Missourian archives

The Broadway Theatre first opened Dec. 24, 1921, when John T. Sackmann felt the city needed a more modern theater. Sackmann undertook financing of the new vaudeville and picture theater along with William Bartels, William Vedder, C.O. Hobbs, A.W. Blattner, Charles Boutin and Henry Sanders, among others. This group formed the Cape Theatre & Realty Co.

Broadway Theater, ca 1950s; probably G.D. Fronabarger photo.Southeast Missourian archives

The original proposal was for the construction of a $55,000 building, which ended up costing nearly $100,000 by the time it was complete. Since the building was still unfurnished, Sackmann enlisted the help of S.E. Brady, who was willing to invest in furnishing the theater. Cape Theatre & Realty signed a 10-year lease agreement with Brady to manage the theater and oversee its construction. Fox Theatre leased the building and purchased it 20 years later.

Published Tuesday, Feb. 10, 1970 -- Cape Girardeau moviegoers will have a new theater -- in effect -- to attend Wednesday night. The Broadway Theater, landmark for almost a half century, has been remodeled from stage to entrance, shown here, new seats have been installed and it will be reopened after a several-year lapse Wednesday night with the movie "Funny Girl." Kerasotes Theaters has taken over operation of the new cinema.Southeast Missourian archives

The theater closed Oct. 18, 1960, but reopened following interior remodels and a redesign of the exterior under Kerasotes Theaters in February 1970. The theater closed again in March 1984, and again reopened in March 1992 before closing for good in 1997.

The Broadway Theatre building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015, and has been on the Cape Girardeau Historic Preservation Commission´s endangered buildings list every year from 2013 to 2020.

A development group planned to purchase the Broadway Theatre, along with the Esquire Theatre across the street at 824 Broadway, through tax-increment financing. An application was submitted by Cara Naeger of Bloomsdale, Missouri, on behalf of TAG (Together Always Giving) Development and Cape Theaters LLC. to assist in the purchase of the building for $227,000 in 2018. The financing agreement expired Dec. 31, 2019.

The building is owned by Phil Brinson, who had plans to rehabilitate the building. Attempts to contact Brinson on Wednesday evening were unsuccessful.

Jackson, Scott City, East County, Fruitland and Gordonville fire departments and the Cape Girardeau Police Department provided mutual aid during the fire. Damage estimates are unknown at this time.