The old, vacant Marquette Hotel will be filled with mists of chemically treated water as men in protective suits remove asbestos insulation around pipes later this year.

The asbestos removal, which also includes a small amount of asbestos-containing ceiling and floor tiles, will mark the start of a Jefferson City, Mo., developer's $6 million project to turn the 74-year-old, tan brick building at Broadway and Fountain in Cape Girardeau into state offices and retail and commercial space.

Prost Builders bought the seven-story building for $350,000 in July after landing a state contract to provide office space.

The formerly luxurious hotel, which has been vacant for 21 years, could be renovated and reopened as an office building within a year, said real estate agent Thomas M. Meyer, who is thrilled the building won't be razed. The city of Cape Girardeau had threatened to tear down the dilapidated building if no one came forward to fix it up.

When completed, the building could include a rooftop restaurant featuring the existing garden towers and an open-air patio, Meyer suggested.

But any plans by the developer depend on first removing the asbestos and lead paint on walls and doors.

Could start next month

David Roth, who heads up Mead Environmental Associates in Cape Girardeau, is drawing up the asbestos removal plan that will be followed by an environmental contractor who has yet to be hired.

Roth said the work could begin in mid-November and take at least two months to complete.

Workers will wear respirators and disposable coveralls and work in a misty environment, Roth said. It's important to keep asbestos fibers from getting into the air and being inhaled, he said. Asbestos has been linked to certain types of cancer and lung problems.

"If we keep it wet, we don't have floating fibers," said Roth.

The asbestos will be bagged and ultimately hauled to a landfill, he said. Any lead paint will be disposed of in a similar fashion, Roth said.

A construction fence will be built around the building before work starts. Roth said that will be the first significant sign of activity at the building since the project was announced this summer.

The fence will take in the sidewalks and street parking around the vacant hotel, Roth said.

Vaughn Prost, chairman of the board of directors of Prost Builders, said his company is currently putting the plans together for the project. But there's little for the public to see right now, he said.

Sign already up

Meyer, however, has placed a sign on the southwest corner of the building advertising commercial space for lease.

"There's going to be a bigger sign going up," he said. The new sign, measuring about 8 feet by 3 feet, could be erected by next week, Meyer said.

The building, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in April, will have about 60,000 square feet of renovated space when it reopens. Over 25,000 square feet will be leased to the state, Meyer said.

The state will lease part of the mezzanine, the entire third floor and the building's first-floor former garage area. About 100 employees of the state's Health and Senior Services, Mental Health and Social Services departments will occupy those areas.

The rest of the building will be leased to private businesses, Meyer said.

Meyer said the building's brick exterior will be preserved, as will architectural details in the lobby and mezzanine.

But the rest of the building will be gutted on each floor. "It is just one big white box," Meyer said. After basic construction work, spaces will be finished off as areas are leased, he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123