ABOUT US
Drs. Mary Ann and Bert Kellerman have been committed to and involved in preservation since 1971.
Mary Ann and Bert Kellerman have been committed to and involved in preservation since 1971.
Both were professors at Southeast Missouri State University. Dr. Mary Ann Kellerman developed the Interior Design Program at Southeast Missouri State University and taught the program for twenty-six years.
She has worked professionally as an interior designer since 1974, and has owned an interior design firm since 1976.
Dr. Bert Kellerman was in the College of Business and served as Chair of the Marketing Department from its inception in 1976 to 1990. In 1994, he became the Associate Dean in the Harrison College of Business.
After successful careers in higher education, Mary Ann and Bert Kellerman, at the urging of neighbors, friends and colleagues, created the Kellerman Foundation for Historic Preservation as a means to leave a legacy of historic preservation for southeast Missouri.
The Kellermans have restored both commercial and residential structures in the area. They have also received local and state awards for their preservation efforts.
In addition, Mary Ann Kellerman was a member of the committee that developed the Historic Preservation Program at Southeast Missouri State University. Most recently, the Kellermans restored the Oliver-Leming House which was the residence of Marie Watkins-Oliver, who designed and created the Missouri State Flag.
Bert and Mary Ann were the 2014 winners of the McReynolds Award for Historic Preservation in recognition of their work on the preservation of the Oliver-Leming House in Cape Girardeau and the establishment of the Foundation.
Kellerman Foundation
Drs. Bert and Mary Ann
Timeline
What follows is a list of major efforts of preservation that the Kellermans have developed.
Fountain House
The Kellermans bought the house on Fountain Street in Cape Girardeau, across the old Lorimier School building that would become City Hall. The house is now referred colloquially as the Fountain House.
Klosterman Block
The Kellermans were successful in adding the old Klostermann Block building on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994 (after purchasing the building in 1992). It was one of the first major building renovations in downtown Cape Girardeau. Upon purchase, the building had no plumbing, minimal electricity, and most of its roof was gone.
The Flag House
The Kellermans purchased and completely refurbished the Oliver-Leming house in Cape Girardeau. This is the place where the flag of the state of Missouri was designed and first produced. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Heritage Hall
While the Kellerman Foundation was founded in 2012, it wasn't until the following year that the foundation created its presence in downtown Cape Girardeau at Heritage Hall.
