Cape Girardeau in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Marquette Tower

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 21, 2021

1. Marquette Tower Marker

Inscription.
1928 — The former Marquette Hotel was completed around the time the first bridge opened linking Cape Girardeau to Illinois. The bridge boosted Cape Girardeau's economy and became a popular place for traveling business men and families to stop between St. Louis and Memphis. The Spanish Colonial Revival Architecture, the ornate painted terra cotta and the custom made encaustic (cement) tiles are just a few details that make the interior and exterior of this building remarkable. The hotel was originally built with 75 guest rooms, a kitchen, public and private dining rooms, a coffee shop, barber shop, drug store and two retail spaces.

1936 — A carriage house for vehicles to park on the north end of the building and 40 additional rooms were added. With all of its amenities, the hotel was the social center for the region until the 1960's.

1969 — The addition of motels built along the newly opened Interstate 55 results in a reduction of visitors to downtown Cape Girardeau. The Marquette hotel changed owners several times and was vacant and in need of substantial repairs, the hotel finally closed in 1981 and in 2000 the building was eventually condemned by the city.

2016 — As the epicenter of the Marquette Tech District; this historic building has been renovated by local developers and investors

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to preserve the integrity of the building's ornate exterior facade and the interior lobby while integrating modern office spaces for technology-based, innovative companies and organizations that support them.

National Register of Historic Places – 2002
Old Town Cape Preservation of Heritage Award – 2018
Missouri Main Street Connection — States Best Large Scale Project — 2019

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Notable Buildings • Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1928.

Location. 37° 18.382′ N, 89° 31.316′ W. Marker is in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, in Cape Girardeau County. It is on Broadway Street just east of North Fountain Street, on the left when traveling east. The marker is mounted at eye-level, directly on the subject building, just to the left of the south entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 338 Broadway Street, Cape Girardeau MO 63701, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Missouri. It is also in the American Ozarks,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

in the Corn Belt,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: H&H Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Royal N'Orleans (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Opera House (about 300 feet away);

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 21, 2021

2. Marquette Tower Marker

The marker is mounted on the left/west side of the south entrance.

The Southeast Missourian Building (about 300 feet away); The Art of Printing / Gathering & Disseminating News (about 400 feet away); Ivers Square Civil War Monuments (about 600 feet away); Grant in Southeast Missouri (approx. 0.2 miles away); Telephone Service (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cape Girardeau.

Regarding Marquette Tower. National Register of Historic Places #02000356.

From the National Register Nomination:
Of special note is the method used in constructing non-load bearing walls inside the main building. These walls are built from gypsum blocks that superficially resemble compressed cinder blocks. Gypsum is the same material used for sheetrock and wall board, but instead of sandwiching the gypsum between paper, it was formed into blocks approximately twelve inches wide by four inches deep and then marked with the words "gypsum". Electrical and plumbing was routed through channels cut into the soft gypsum and then plaster was applied directly over the blocks. The most architecturally significant portion of the interior of the building is the hotel's lobby. Although
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 21, 2021

3. Marquette Tower (south facade)
it was remodeled in 1951, many original details from the 1928 construction remain. These include ornate floor and wall tiles, stenciling, and light fixtures. Upon entering the lobby from the Fountain Street entrance, the spaciousness of the room is immediately apparent. It is approximately 40 feet wide by 50 feet deep. The ceilings are over twenty feet high. The middle of the lobby has a series of three square columns, front to back. Around the entire perimeter of the room, and around the base of the columns are original glazed tiles going up the wall forming a tile wainscoting. These tiles have an ornate, colorful floral design. The entire floor of the room is also covered in original glazed tiles in a similar design. The ceiling of the lobby has a series of original false beams covering it. Although the ceiling was repainted in 1951, original floral stenciling from the 1920s shows through peeling paint. All of the walls in the lobby are covered in rough Spanish-style stucco, which appears original.

Also see . . .
1. Marquette Hotel (Wikipedia). Excerpt:

The Mission/Spanish revival style building was designed by Walter P. Manske and George F. Bartling and built in 1928. The north wing was added in 1936. It is six stories high, includes a full basement, and has 115 guest
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 21, 2021

4. Marquette Tower (window detail)
rooms. It is constructed of reinforced concrete and brick with a flat concrete slab roof. It features twin Spanish-style towers that flank each side of the facade with hipped terra cotta tile roofs and double Romanesque arched openings separated by Moorish-style spiral columns.

(Submitted on November 15, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. National Register of Historic Places Nomination. (Submitted on November 15, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Marquette Tower (<i>painted terra cotta detail</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 21, 2021

5. Marquette Tower (painted terra cotta detail)

Marquette Tower (<i>southwest elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 21, 2021

6. Marquette Tower (southwest elevation)

Note the twin Spanish towers at southwest and southeast corners.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 15, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 15, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,015 times since then and 142 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on November 15, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.