Architectural Design of the Marquette Hotel

Designed by Manske and Bartling of St. Louis and R. K. Knox of Cape Girardeau, the structure is predominantly Spanish in design and "carries with it a sentiment that is enriched by the lore of the region,"² as the Spanish were among the first settlers to the river city. The Hotel Marquette was built by J. W. Gerhardt and Son Contracting, also of Cape Girardeau. The massive structure, six stories in height, encompasses an area 83 feet along Broadway and 115 feet back along Fountain street. "At one time it was found that a much larger building could be erected for the same money, but that it would not be nearly as attractive as the present one. Then it was decided that additional rooms would be sacrifced for beauty and attractiveness."³

The hotel contains 132 exterior openings and 500 windows. Approximately 325,000 bricks were used in the construction, over 100,000 of them being face bricks. It is made of reinforced construction with 121 tons of steel and 2,500 barrels of cement combined with 2,000 tons of crushed stone.⁴

The exterior is buff-colored pressed brick with polychrome terra cotta trim of Spanish design. There are two towers, both on the Broadway side of the building, with quoins running along the corners.