SEMO: Rev Up the Dozers

Ochs-Shivelbine House 03-25-2015Katie Lamb had a story in the May 11 Missourian that the Ochs-Shivelbine house is slated for demolition to make room for a planned Greek Village. The Greystone Estate, located next to the doomed Ochs-Shivelbine home on North Sprigg, was demolished in March.

I’ve given up railing against the university’s penchant for treating buildings with benign neglect until they have an excuse to tear them down.

One down, one to go

Here’s a gallery of photos I took of Ochs-Shivelbine shortly after the Greystone was reduced to rubble. Click on any photo to make it larger, then use your arrow keys to move through the gallery.

15 Replies to “SEMO: Rev Up the Dozers”

  1. Ken, I am so glad you took pictures of this grand Ochs-Shivelbine home before the dozers reduce it to rubble – as they did to Greystone. Your photos are going to be a part of Cape’s history now and the only way people will be able to remember the grandeur these homes represented. Thank you for what you do with your camera and your time – capturing Cape Girardeau in all its beauty and history. Greatly appreciated Ken. 🙂

  2. Mary here, is someone going to save those beautiful leaded/stained glass windows? I HOPE!!!

  3. SEMO has been tearing down historic homes and mansions for years. Louis Houck house comes to mind first. More than 50 years ago. I’m sure Fred Lynch has more examples.

  4. Thank you for documenting the Ochs-Shivelbin home. It is a shame the a university that has a historic preservation program that is nationally ranked has so little concern for the heritage of the community where it resides. Anyway sorry to see that we were not able to save Greystone and Ochs-Shivelbine Homes. What a great loss.

  5. Thank you for documenting the Ochs-Shivelbin home. It is a shame a university that has a historic preservation program that is nationally ranked has so little concern for the heritage of the community where it resides. Anyway sorry to see that we were not able to save Greystone and Ochs-Shivelbine Homes. What a great loss.

  6. My heart aches. Thanks for saving memories Ken. Mary,I surely hope you get those windows.

  7. These were both great, historic homes that I hate to see go, but a bit long in the tooth needing some serious attention. I was in both many times years ago. It appears that nobody wanted to step up or buck up and take care of it. The free market always rears it’s ugly head at the worst possible time. Easy to be a preservationist on some one else’s dime.
    Let the flame throwerers begin.

    1. It’s easy to neglect maintenance until you can use the high cost of repairs as a justification of demolition.

      Schultz Senior Apartments (old Central High School on Pacific) and Kage School (photos of the grand opening to come) show that preservation is possible and economically rewarding.

      The razing of Trinity Lutheran Church is another example: it was suddenly too expensive to repair when a gift came in that could only be used to build a new church.

      No flame: I believe light is better than heat.

  8. Mary, you beat me to it! Someone should really salvage the stained glass windows. I’m a 40 something momma of 3 who has grown up in Cape. I love the history of our town and the beautiful buildings and I enjoy passing it along to my kids. You guys always help me do that with all of your knowledge!!

  9. As a Cape native with two degrees from SEMO, it embarasses me that the profit motive has invaded this institution like other big businesses. I agree with Bob Pollack that the fact there is an historic preservation program there makes one wonder how dedicated the University is to the preservation concept.

  10. Thank you, Ken, for your photographic documentation of this elegant home. I am somewhat optimistic that more care will be taken in salvaging it than was with Greystone, including the lovely windows; there are more interior features that should be saved (such as leaded glass doors, several fireplace mantels and oak floors). The preservationist community is hoping that the new SEMO president will have a more sympathetic viewpoint than his predecessors in preserving Cape’s historical buildings that are on campus.

  11. What a shame. Thanks for the pictures. I read about it recently in the Cape paper online. It is certainly disapointing that the University has that attitude, but not surprising. Similar issues with UMSL and historic building on their campus. Also, seems that the Greek Village at SEMO won’t accomodate all the Greek organizations, so I do not understand that either. I recently visited the Oliver “Flag” house in Cape. I am so glad that that has been so beautifully preserved.

  12. “Flamethrowers? REALLY??”…come on Mike Bristow. And it isn’t someone else’s dime, it is OUR dime, that is if you live and pay taxes in Missouri. Greystone had just had close to a $200k renovation internally, 2014. The Sig Eps had some part in that as tenants. Then the so called “black mold” was discovered. So, with all the health regulations and a figure of $400k for removal (no one where knows it seems where that figure came from). And K. Dobbins fast tracked it for demolition. I have been told that the Shivelbine house will stand another year. But????!!!!
    I was in the house recently. It is rough, but not rougher when we moved in in 1961. The building has a sound structure. VERY well built from the get go. Lots of beautiful architecture inside.
    Also I would like to point out there other than myself, Marise Compass, Christine Owen and Ken Steinhoff there has been nobody to speak up/out. The Missourian did run news stories of course. Nothing public from the University History department, Dr. Nickell, Dr. Steve Hoffman +++. Capes Historical Association and The Cape Museum didn’t make a peep. The Shivelbine house was accepted by the cities Endangered list
    So Ken, thanks for your post!!
    PS…we all have forgotten it seems that SEMO also razed Washington School.

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