Broadway Theatre to be considered as historic place in Cape Girardeau

The historic Broadway Theatre in downtown Cape Girardeau is being considered for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.

Steven Hoffman, professor of history at Southeast Missouri State University, and Alyssa Lage of the Cape Girardeau Convention & Visitors Bureau have been working together to nominate the theater. Hoffman said being on the register can be useful in terms of honoring the building and it can help to make people aware of how important the building is to the community's history. Being on the list can also help for historical tourism purposes.

"It really means a couple of things," Hoffman said. "One is that it provides recognition that this building is significant to the community of Cape Girardeau and that that significance is verified by a larger body. It's kind of an outside stamp of approval that says 'Yes, this really is an important building.' It's not just your local perspective that thinks it's important."

Hoffman said it can provide an incentive for developers to rehabilitate the building. If someone were to purchase the building, and put it back into use, then historic preservation tax credits would be available given that it is on the National Register of Historic Places. The building is located at 805 Broadway in Cape Girardeau.

Hoffman said the building is significant because it had an impact on the community and what he calls a "strong public involvement." When the doors first opened in 1929, the theater was a frequent, popular venue for vaudeville acts and local jazz bands. The venue closed for the first time on Oct. 18, 1960, and was reopened by Kerasotes in 1973 as a first-run movie theater. The building was shut down again a little more than a decade later and reopened for the last time in the early 1990s as a dollar movie theatre. The theater closed down for the last time in 1997.

The building has been used as a site for the Miss Cape Girardeau Beauty Contest and cooking show hosted by the Southeast Missourian. The building is currently owned by Phil Brinson, who also owns the historic Broadway Esquire building and the old Buckner's Brewing Company building.

Hoffman said there are two qualifications that must be met in order for a place to be added to the list.

"Typically to be listed, properties need to demonstrate two things," Hoffman said. "They need to demonstrate that significance. Lots of things get old. It doesn't necessarily mean that they're significant, and so trying to write the history of the building to demonstrate that it wasn't just a theater, it was significant to the entertainment and recreation of the people in Cape Girardeau over this period of time in the early to mid 20th century."

Hoffman said it is key that the building still maintains enough of its original "integrity" and characteristics that it can convey its importance. Hoffman said the main structures of the building, despite being shut down for nearly 17 years, are in good condition.

"A lot of the interior plaster work is still in great shape," Hoffman said. "It really is overall, I think, in very good condition. It certainly does need some work done on it, but it's structurally sound and it has a lot of integrity in terms of features that make it special."

The Missouri Historic Preservation Commission was scheduled to consider nominations during its quarterly meeting on Feb. 7.