BusinessFebruary 28, 2023
Historic downtown Cape Girardeau developments given new life
Restoring older buildings — especially those dating back to the late 1800s and early 1900s — is not an easy feat. It is usually much simpler to buy a new building and avoid the headache of adapting a century-old property to fit modern standards.
Restoring older buildings — especially those dating back to the late 1800s and early 1900s — is not an easy feat. It is usually much simpler to buy a new building and avoid the headache of adapting a century-old property to fit modern standards.
Still, more than a few developers and business leaders have stepped up to the challenge of restoring downtown Cape Girardeau’s historic buildings. These restored buildings are testaments to progress and monuments to history.
They are also, quite simply, places for the community to shop, dine and grow in. Here are a few projects currently in process or recently opened. The Rivers & Rails complex at 101 William provides unique retail space for specialty shops; The buildings at 121 Water Street contain eateries and bars next to the river; The facility at 1 S. Main will contain a state-of-the-art behavioral health clinic.
Shop - 101William Street
The long building at the corner of William and Aquamsi Street was constructed circa the early 1900s to house Godard Grocer Co., a St Louis-based wholesale grocer, according to research done by historic preservationist Terri Foley. Groceries would come off the railroad to be housed at the warehouse before being distributed to grocery stores around Cape Girardeau.
Current building owner Brennon Todt says the building also served as the headquarters for the construction of the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge. Since the property is historically associated with both the river and railroad, Todt decided to name his renovated retail complex on 101 William Street, “River & Rails.”
He acquired the building in 2020 and renovations on the property took about a year. Todt is president and founder of Todt Roofing & Construction, and he used his knowledge to help restore the historic building.
“My vision was to take the old warehouse and continue with the warehouse theme, but make it have a modern application,” Todt said. “We tried to preserve as many original elements of the building, such as the wooden beams and the brick facade and the concrete floors. And show [others] that before we tear down old buildings, let’s look at ways they can be repurposed.”
The River & Rails complex contains six total rental spaces, with three spaces currently available at the time this article was written in February 2023. Todt kept the rental spaces open and simple, almost like a warehouse, but with modern touches complementing the old craftsmanship. One of the reasons Todt says he loves the building is because of its remarkably square shape, making it ideal for retail.
“From the beginning I had envisioned creating affordable yet classy retail spaces. I wanted them to be simple, but yet attractive to the community, even to the point that the goal really was to draw new businesses into the area,” Todt said.
So far, the three tenants of Rivers & Rails fit Todt’s vision perfectly. Two are new businesses and one is operating out of brick and mortar for the first time. The tenants include: Water & William Olive Oil Co., which specializes in infused olive oil and balsamic vinegar; Hot Sauce Werks, which specializes in hot sauce and other specialty sauces; Frame A Memory Photography, which specializes in maternity and newborn photography.
“I think that some [of the tenants] knew the building as symbolic of the entrepreneurial spirit and the hope of growth in Cape Girardeau,” Todt said.
Todt says he is grateful for Old Town Cape and all the city leaders for their role in supporting the project and sharing his enthusiasm for restoring historic buildings.
Dine - 121-127 Water Street
The three conjoined buildings stretching from 121 to 127 Water Street were initially constructed in 1870, according to research by Foley. The building was originally a commission warehouse and grocery store, owned by Irish immigrant Patrick Dempsey. With its location on Water Street, facing the Mississippi River, the P.H. Dempsey store’s business was likely driven by steamboat traffic, according to the research. This proximity to the river — before the flood wall was constructed — also means the location suffered flooding damage often.
More recently, the building has housed various restaurants and bars.
Today, the Water Street building houses three of Cape’s unique dining and drink experiences: Bon Bon’s, Le Lounge and Many Good Things (MGT). However, the renovations that made this all possible started with the vision of current property owner and SoutheastHEALTH neonatologist Dr. Paul Caruso, who purchased the building sometime between 2016 and 2017.
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“[I wanted to] preserve the historic nature [of the building] and do anything to help revitalize downtown,” Caruso said.
The building required a lot of renovations, but Caruso kept the original circular port-style window openings and Dempsey grocery mural on the right side of the building facing Broadway. He also had new wooden doors made to match the original exterior of the historic building.
He said they basically renovated “the entire building.” They put in a new system to support the roof, rerouted the plumbing and updated the brickwork. Bon Bon’s and Le Lounge owner, Stephenie Gardiner, helped Caruso with renovations and later moved her businesses into the space. Caruso said the renovations took about two years.
Bon Bon’s of Cape Girardeau is a specialty bakery and popular lunch spot. Le Lounge, also owned by Gardiner, is a family-friendly spot for drinks and food above Bon Bon’s. One reason Gardiner loves 127 Water Street is its proximity to the river and how easy it makes owning two businesses.
“I like having both [businesses] together cause it makes it easy for me to be there,” Gardiner said. “They’re two separate businesses and two separate styles, but they’re still from the same background.”
On the other side of the building, Ray Perez and Andrew Stewart opened MGT on Dec. 17, 2021. MGT is a craft microbrewery in “pursuit of the perfect beer.” They chose the historic location because of its “warm inviting feel”, which Stewart said is important to a brewery’s atmosphere. They wanted a place people feel comfortable in.
They also loved the glass garage door, so they have the option of opening up the space when the weather is good. They said it took about six months to finish renovations, after Caruso’s first renovations.
“Water is a quiet street with a lot of potential,” Stewart said. “[This place] is small enough to make the vision [of MGT] work and make it viable.”
Grow - 1 S Main Street
The brick building on the corner of Main Street and Independence is believed to date back to about 1900. Morning Star Behavioral Associates CEO and current building owner Lindsey Pippins said records are sparse for the property.
The building served as a Firestone Tire and Rubber Company for many years until Plaza Tire Company took over the operation in 1987, according to research done by Foley. It later housed Capaha Bank, The Plant Lady and Benchmark Construction when the building was bought by Pam Abercrombie of Capaha Bank in 1998.
Now, Pippins is completely reconstructing the building’s interior to be the perfect space for Morning Star’s flagship clinic.
Pippins won Codefi’s 1ST50K competition in 2017 and brought Morning Star to Cape Girardeau. As a company, Morning Star focuses on working with individuals who have disabilities to grow their independence through the science of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and individual-based approaches to behavioral therapy.
Pippins said she chose the building for Morning Star’s flagship clinic because of its central location and access to everything downtown Cape has to offer. Historically, she said day habilitation centers and ABA clinics have existed on the outskirts of communities, but Morning Star’s goal is to put their clients and people with disabilities at the “center of things.”
“The possibilities are truly endless,” Pippins said. “Not only does [this clinic] highlight and change the makeup of our downtown historic region, it really sets a precedent of realizing that people with disabilities, though they are coming to [Morning Star] to grow and get help, have so much to give the community and are a vital part of it.”
Pippins said this clinic will also help Morning Star partner and connect with as many community programs “as humanly possible.”
Morning Star acquired the building in early 2021 and began renovations by early 2022. It has been a “huge undertaking,” but Pippins estimates the clinic will be move-in ready sometime this spring.
She said most of the building had to be completely gutted and renovated, especially in the “warehouse portion” of the building where floors were uneven and required four feet of laid concrete to create a cohesive space. Because of the many changes, Pippins calls 1 Main a historic shell of a building with a “brand new building in it.”
Some fun additions to the building include a yellow play slide, virtual reality station, gaming arcade and training kitchen.
“There’s nothing that says treatment can’t be fun,” Pippins said.
On the second floor of 1 Main, Pippins says there will be three luxury apartments called the “1 Lofts” opening for leasing sometime this summer. They will have a separate entrance from the clinic, and her goal for these living spaces is to provide “cool river views” that highlight the river wall and downtown living.
“Our goal is also to complement Cape,” Pippins said. “You can’t complement Cape in a brand new building. We want to complement the culture that already exists and that [culture exists] in historic buildings.”
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