Renovation of old Cape Girardeau County Courthouse to start next week

Demolition work is expected to begin Monday, March 27, in preparation for a $7,712,717 remodel at the now-vacant 1908 Cape Girardeau County Courthouse in Jackson.

County commissioners March 13 OK'd a change order from Jackson's Penzel Construction, permitting the renovation to go forward.

Phil Penzel, president of Penzel Construction of Jackson, in December 2018. Penzel Construction is expected to start demolition work next week as renovation gets underway of Jackson's 1908-era county courthouse, vacant since 2020.Southeast Missourian file

Phil Penzel, president of Penzel Construction of Jackson, in December 2018. Penzel Construction is expected to start demolition work next week as renovation gets underway of Jackson's 1908-era county courthouse, vacant since 2020.Southeast Missourian file

Phil Penzel, in an interview last week with the Southeast Missourian, gave a sense of the scope of work.

"Externally, we plan to tuckpoint a lot of the stone and clean it up, plus replace some of the sidewalk and do a little bit of regrading so the water drains correctly. On the inside, we will demo most of the interior walls. We'll be reframing and we'll do a lot of woodwork to give a look to hold the integrity of the (building's) history," Penzel said. "We're also replacing the windows and the elevator, plus all the electrical and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning). It's a complete remodel. The only thing we're not touching is the (exterior) copper right now because it came in pretty expensive. We are looking at other options to get that done before the project is over."

Additionally, Penzel said his company will repair and restore the courthouse clock and the fountain facing West Main Street.

First District Commissioner Paul Koeper said the county's capital improvements fund will pay for the renovation.

Once Penzel's work is complete, all offices now in the County Administration Building at No. 1 Barton Square will be moved into the former courthouse except for the offices of County Recorder of Deeds David Blattner, County Assessor Bob Adams and County Collector Barbara Gholson.

Penzel said the courthouse renovation and county jail expansion project will be done concurrently with a plan to complete both by Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024.

On Jan. 9, county commissioners approved a nearly $48 million design-build contract with Penzel-Treanor to expand and upgrade the jail, also in Jackson.

Penzel Construction built the current $20 million, 82,000-square-foot county courthouse next door to the existing lockup. It opened in 2020.