Goldenrod (showboat)

The showboat Goldenrod was designated U.S. National Historic Landmark on 24 December 1967. She was placed on the 'Threatened Historical Landmarks' list in 2001.

Goldenrod
Goldenrod in the 1980s
History
Builder: Pope Dock Company
Cost: $75,000
Launched: 1909
General characteristics
Length: 200 ft (61 m)
Beam: 45 ft (14 m)
Goldenrod (Showboat)
St. Louis Landmark
LocationKampsville, Illinois
Coordinates39°20′27″N 90°37′09″W
Built1909
ArchitectPope Dock Co.
NRHP reference No.67000029
Significant dates
Added to NRHP24 December 1967[1]
Designated NHL24 December 1967[2]

One of two remaining examples of the modern era of showboats that ended in the 1920s, Goldenrod is the largest and most elaborately decorated of the showboats. She provided entertainment in the form of minstrel shows, vaudeville, and serious drama. The boat is designed in the manner of a 19th-century showboat rather than a late 20th century one, in other words, not like a paddlewheeler steamboat. In October 2017, the boat burned to its hull and was presumed a total loss.[3][4][5]

History
Goldenrod Showboat Sign

Goldenrod was built in 1909 by Pope Dock Company of Parkersburg, West Virginia for W.R. Markle at a cost $75,000. At 200 feet (61 m) long and 45 feet (14 m) wide, she had an auditorium 162 feet (49 m) long with twenty-one red velour upholstered boxes and a seating capacity of 1,400.

In 1910, twenty-one showboats, plied the Mississippi, visiting 15 mid-western states. (Showboats were typically non-powered barges with entertainment palaces built upon them.) By 1928, this number had dwindled to eleven, and by 1938, only five remained in operation. Between the Great Depression, movies, and increased mobility, the days of the showboat were all but over.

Goldenrod Theater

Goldenrod was the last showboat to work the Mississippi. Under the ownership of Capt. Bill Menke, she was moored at the St. Louis riverfront in 1937. By 1950, she had been partially sunk and salvaged twice. Shows were still being staged, and, for 75 cents a head, St. Louis playgoers could board the boat and "sass the actors" on stage.[6]

On 1 June 1962, a disastrous fire, caused by an electrical short, all but destroyed the superstructure of the auditorium, and caused severe damage to the entire structure. The Goldenrod was then purchased by a group of St. Louis businessmen headed by Frank C. Pierson and Don Franz, and restored to her original glory, and beyond. Plush carpeting was laid in the auditorium, with cabaret seating, under a huge crystal chandelier. Many antique appointments were salvaged from old St. Louis mansions being torn down. Brass fixtures and rails were restored or replaced, as was the tin ceiling and elaborate woodwork. A cocktail lounge was added, with a small bandstand where the St. Louis Ragtimers band played traditional ragtime for many years. The upstairs staterooms were converted into a buffet dining room. When this $300,000 renovation was completed, Goldenrod had her Grand Re-Opening in May, 1965. In 1967, she was registered as a National Historic Landmark. Mr. Pierson also owned the Becky Thatcher, a former packet boat, traveling no more but moored beside Goldenrod, featuring a restaurant, lounges, and gift shop.

On the levee

Beginning in the early 1960s to about 1985, the National Ragtime Festival at St. Louis was held in June aboard Goldenrod. Many vintage jazz and ragtime bands were featured, including Turk Murphy and The Salty Dogs. From 1975 to 1984, Goldenrod was operated as a sister theater to the Heritage Square Opera House in Golden, Colorado, presenting a unique style of melodrama plus vaudeville olio, in a high energy format created by G. William Oakley of Denver, Colorado. During this same period, the National Ragtime Festivals, produced by Oakley, became an annual phenomenon on the St. Louis riverfront.

St. Charles

In 1989, Goldenrod was purchased by the city of St. Charles for $300,000 and moved to the historic Missouri River town. She was restored and renovated, costing the city about 3.5 million dollars over the next 12 years. The dinner theater continued to operate as a popular attraction. In 2001, she was run aground after Missouri River levels ran low. Goldenrod was closed due to Coast Guard structural repair requirements. The repair estimates were much higher than expected, and the City Council decided to sell her in 2002.

National historic register

Sale

When no one offered to buy her, the council decided to give her away. Four groups submitted proposals, and the council chose Lewis and Clark Landing, a firm headed by John Schwarz. Goldenrod was moved to storage near the Poplar Street Bridge in downtown St. Louis. Later she was moved to Kampsville, Illinois, where she is currently (as of July 2011) moored on the Illinois River.

Schwarz' original intention was to place her in a protective basin to be constructed near her mooring location, but the plan never happened. Goldenrod was, instead, towed to a mooring spot next to the tugboat America, which was owned by Shelia Prokuski and Randy Newingham.

Uncertain future

In 2006, a civil suit was filed against Schwarz in an attempt to collect $24,000 in mooring fees owed to Prokuski. The case was supposed to have been settled, with Schwarz retaining ownership of Goldenrod while he found new mooring for the boat. Schwarz did not move the boat, and she was sold at a sheriff's auction in October 2007. Since there were no other bids on her, Prokuski bought her for $5,000.

As of 15 January 2008, the showboat's future was still uncertain. She remains moored in Calhoun County and mired in court as questions remain about the legality of the sale. The judge, Richard Greenleaf, said the proper paperwork had not been filed for the auction, so he has not signed off on the sale.

The couple want to sell Goldenrod but have to wait until the title clears. Though it has been reported they will sell the historic boat for scrap, Newingham has denied this.

Since 2010, Goldenrod has been under the care of Steve Debellis, Jacob Medford and the Historic Riverboat Preservation Association.[7]

Balcony to stage

In 2015 the hull buckled when the vessel ended up on uneven land after river levels dropped suddenly while it was being moved to the riverbank.[8] With insufficient funds to save the ship, the Historic Riverboat Preservation Association decided to save the pilothouse and as much of the interior furnishings as possible for incorporation into museum displays. Work on removing interior furnishings proceeded on Saturdays and Sundays from that point until 31 March 2016.[9] On 1 April 2016, the vessel was given to the owners of the dock where she was moored. While the vessel's fate rests with dock owners, Jacob Medford believes the vessel will end up as scrap.[10]

Famous entertainers
Night time on the boat

Several notable entertainers have performed on Goldenrod, including Red Skelton, Pearl Bailey, Cab Calloway and Bob Hope.[11]

Goldenrod served as an inspiration for Edna Ferber's novel Show Boat.[12]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 23 January 2007.
  2. "Goldenrod (Showboat)". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 28 February 2009. Retrieved 28 June 2008.
  3. Smith, Chris (21 October 2017). "Goldenrod Showboat burns down to its hull". St. Louis: Fox 2. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  4. Hollinshed, Denise (22 October 2017). "Goldenrod Showboat's story appears to be at an end after fire". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  5. Hulsey, Joel. "Historic Goldenrod showboat catches fire, determined to be total loss". KSDK. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  6. "The Theater: There Goes the Showboat". Time. 5 September 1949. Retrieved 1 September 2012.(subscription required)
  7. "Goldenrod Showboat". Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  8. "Goldenrod Showboat will be salvaged for a museum, says preservation group". Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  9. "The finale: Volunteers to say farewell to the Goldenrod Showboat". Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  10. "Volunteers work against time to save artifacts from Goldenrod Showboat". Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  11. Leonard, Mary Delach (9 September 2013). "Fans of the historic Goldenrod Showboat keep hope for restoration afloat with new fundraising effort". St. Louis Public Radio. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  12. "Showboat, Inspiration of Ferber Novel, Wrecked by Fire in St. Louis". New York Times. 2 June 1962. p. 21. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
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