(rshsdepot) Louisiana, MO

["James Dent" <james.dent_@_itochu.com>]

-From the Hannibal, MO Courier Post...

Louisiana depot listed on 'most endangered' list

STE. GENEVIEVE (AP) -- A preservationist group's new list of Missouri's
''most endangered'' historic places includes shuttered hotels, neglected
church buildings and decaying railroad depots.

The list of 10 structures or places ''highlights the variety of
architectural resources we have in our state, because these are all historic
and worth saving,'' Deb Sheals, president of the Missouri Alliance for
Historic Preservation, said Sunday.

Among the places listed is the Louisiana Chicago and Alton Railroad Depot,
801 South 3rd St., in Louisiana. Built in 1907 of red brick and stucco, the
station once had segregated men's and women's seating sections. It ceased
passenger operations in 1960. The current owner has put on a new roof to
curb water damage from leaks, but because the building sits in a Mississippi
River flood plain, the owner cannot get federal preservation assistance, the
alliance said.

Also included on the list were long-closed and deteriorating hotels in Cape
Girardeau and St. Joseph; churches in Kansas City and Glasgow that are still
used for worship but badly need major repairs; and strings of buildings in
historic areas of Springfield and Jefferson City.

The alliance released the list of ''most endangered'' places during its
annual statewide preservation conference in Ste. Genevieve, a French
Colonial settlement that showcases preserved structures dating to the late
1700s.

The list is intended to draw attention to the specific sites and to the
nonprofit alliance's statewide goal of preserving historic structures,
Sheals said.

The designation means the alliance ''is ready to help'' by providing expert
assessments for restoration or new uses for some of the places on the list.
The alliance could also put property listings on its Internet site, which
might link sellers with buyers interested in historic preservation, Sheals
said.

''They are all important properties and there is a wide variety on the list,
and that reflects our view it doesn't have to be a major,
multimillion-dollar property,'' she said.

Places on the list are part of Missouri's cultural, religious and
agricultural history.

For example, the list includes the sprawling Grand Avenue Temple, a ''Mother
Church of Methodism'' in Kansas City, and the smaller Campbell Chapel A.M.E.
Church in Glasgow, founded by freed slaves in 1860.

The St. Charles Hotel in St. Joseph and the Marquette Hotel in Cape
Girardeau are reminders of mercantile prosperity.

The Fine-Eiler Farm homestead, surrounded by unspoiled acreage in
fast-developing south St. Louis County, may date to Missouri's statehood.

Four neighboring residential properties near the Capitol in Jefferson City
are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, but demolition
permits have been sought, the alliance said.

The list doesn't rank the sites in a particular order, Sheals said, because
''historic architecture comes in many shapes and sizes.''

About 150 guests were registered for the alliance's weekend conference in
Ste. Genevieve, which included workshops on preserving and restoring old
buildings and tours of the city's historic sites.

- ------

On the Net:

Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation: www.preservemo.org

------------------------------