Historic Buildings

Fort Myers River District Historic Buildings

Below is a list of historical buildings within The Fort Myers River District.

Arcade Theater

The Arcade Theater building located between Bay and First Streets was built in 1915 by the Heitman brothers, Harvie and Gilmer.  It is part of the Bradford Block and is unique as it offers passage from Bay Street to First Street.  The Arcade housed several shops and a theater, which contained a large stage that was used for shows and vaudeville acts.  Originally the Arcade was a narrow structure, but was widened and remodeled in the 1920’s to minimize flooding during hurricanes.

 

Bank of Fort Myers
(French Connection/BSSW)

The Bank of Fort Myers was founded in 1906 as an outgrowth of the Fort Myers branch of the Citizens Bank and Trust Company of Tampa.  This building was constructed in 1911 and was considered to be the Fort Myers first “home owned” bank.  Harvie E. Heitman, a director of the bank took the lead in financing the construction of the building.  Today the building looks very much as it did upon completion.

 

 

16 Bay View Court (1411)

Constructed prior to 1926 the building was designed with a single, ground floor retail storefront and a separate exterior door providing direct access to the second floor, presumably for office use. Over the years the building has housed many different uses including an abstract and title company, a dry goods store,  a clothing shoppe, and chiropractor among others. The building is also interesting as it is near mirror image to the one across from it on Bay View Court.

 

 

 

Bradford Hotel
(Florida Gulf Bank)

The Bradford Hotel was opened on November 12, 1905.  The building was constructed by Harvie E. Heitman and was financed by Tootie McGregor, widow of Ambrose McGregor, who had befriended Heitman in the late 1890’s.  The hotel was named the Bradford after McGregor’s deceased son.  The Bradford originally had forty-one rooms with a large dining room on the second floor.  In 1915 the Arcade Theater was added, expanding the building to the first brick building Downtown at the corner of First and Jackson Streets.  By the 1940’s it had expanded to one hundred rooms and a restaurant on the first floor.

 

Brick Bar

The building was built on the riverfront in 1925 and was used as a fish house, processing facility for several years.  The building then sat vacant for many years and was finally re-opened in 1946 as the Dew-Drop Inn Restaurant.  Over the next few decades the building was used as a restaurant under various names including in 1966, the Bay Café.  The building was purchased in 1988 by Peter Schmid, who opened Peter’s LaCuisine, a fine dining restaurant with the 3^rd floor Brick Bar featuring live entertainment.  In 1998 the rooftop was converted to the Sky Bar.  Peter’s LaCuisine, the Brick Bar, and the Sky Bar closed in early 2002.

 

Colquitt Building

The building was erected by Henry Colquitt, a real estate developer from Detroit, Michigan, in 1925, and later sold to W.H. Rynolds, Sr. to be used as real estate offices. Modernized several times, the facade, as you can see in the ornamental stucco work and bell tower, retains the character of the Spanish-Mission style prevalent in the Florida boom years.

 

 

Dean Hotel
(Morgan House)

The Dean Hotel was originally named the Morgan Hotel and built by John Morgan Dean of Providence Rhode Island, and developer of Dean Park, a small elite residential subdivision in Fort Myers.  In 1923, Dean purchased the S.W. Sanchez homestead on First Street and began construction of the hotel.  He laid out a new street to run through the property, enabling the hotel to face both First and Dean Streets.

The original Morgan Hotel opened in January of 1924 and contained twenty-two rooms.  That summer, the hotel was renovated and opened for the new season in October with an enlarged lobby, a telephone booth, new carpets and furnishings.  During 1925, seventy more rooms were added and the “new” Morgan Hotel was opened in the end of November.

 

Earnhardt Building
(Multiple Businesses)

The Earnhardt Building was completed on February 10, 1915.  It was built by Harvie E. Heitman, who tore down the old livery stable and other frame buildings on the south side of First Street.  The 193 foot long, two story high, buff brick building is an excellent example of the commercial style of architecture.   It was constructed at a cost of $85,000.  It has been said that the building boasted the only public bathroom Downtown, and even had hot and cold running water.  For over fifty years McCrory’s Five and Dime store occupied the building.

 

Edison Regency House
(Roetzel Andress Law Firm/Franklin Arms Apartments)

The Edison Regency House started in 1889 as the Hill House and was operated by Mary F. Hill.  Once a small boarding house, it was gradually expanded to become one of the leading hosteleries in Fort Myers.  In 1918, the building was purchased by W.P. Franklin and renamed the Franklin Arms.  In 1924, a seven-story addition containing eighty-four rooms and costing $300,000 was added.  The addition was known as the first “skyscraper” in Fort Myers.  The three-story brick and masonry portion of the building shows Mediterranean Revival influences in the barrel tile roof and detail on the columns at the front of the building.

 

Edison Theater

The Edison Theatre was built in 1940-1941 when its modified Art Deco style of architecture was much in vogue. Built by the Florida State Theaters, Inc. chain, the company that owned the Arcade Theatre on First Street, the Edison was in its day, the most modern theater in town. With its elegantly decorated lobby and restrooms and balcony, it was the place to go on Saturday nights.

 

2208 First

Originally completed circa 1900, this building is unique as remains as one of Fort Myers early buildings. Although the exterior appears as one structure, it actually is comprised of two separate buildings. The front facade of the original building would have been wooden, with a second floor sleeping porch covered by a shed roof, and a simple wood railing with wood balustrades. In 1927, as part of a modernization effort, the building was significantly altered on the street elevation, including the addition of the Mediterranean Revival style front facade as seen from the street, which was much in demand at the time.

 

First & Jackson Streets

The building in the foreground stands as the first brick building downtown, as seen on the left. Note in the distance the wharves (top of picture) that extend into the Caloosahatchee. Originally, the river came to Bay Street, with nearly every north/south street extending into the river on piers.

 

 

 

First National Bank

The First National Bank Building was completed on August 17, 1914.  The Neo-Classically styled bank was built on the site of Phoenix Hall, an early day community facility.  The bank was chartered in January 1908, and established in the Stone Block Building on the southwest corner of First and Hendry Streets.  The bank was founded at the urging of Walter G. Langford in response to the then recent establishment of the Bank of Fort Myers, an institution that had excluded Langford from its Board of Directors.  For years the First Nation Bank of Fort Myers and the Bank of Fort Myers were known as bitter rivals.  When the Bank of Fort Myers moved to a new location at First and Jackson Streets, the officials at the First National Bank decided to build the structure seen today at First and Hendry Streets.

 

 

Franklin Hardware

Originally constructed in 1937 it was the new home for the Franklin Hardware Store, previously located in the Bradford Building. The building was quite modern for the time and one of the few in Fort Myers with such clear Art Deco features. The building is particularly unique to Fort myers with its vitrolite (Carrara Glass) on the First Street facade to appear similar to Carrara marble, glassblock transom windows, and metal clad overhang. The building today looks much as it did when it was originally constructed.

 

 

Greystone Hotel

One of many buildings constructed by Peter Tonnelier, the Greystone, built in 1916 replaced the former Michigan Hotel which was destroyed by fire in 1914. Upon completion, the third floor was immediately used as a hotel, with the first two floors serving a variety of uses, including the location of the Lee County Bank prior to its relocation to  Main and Hendry Streets.

 

Gwynne Institute

Built in 1911, it bears the namesake of a wealthy Tennessee cotton broker, grocer, and Civil War Colonel. Gwynne, a winter resident of Fort Myers insisted the city needed a better educational facility. Following Gwynne's death, an $8,000 donation, matching fund already collected by the community, a bond issue, and other monies raised opened the school at a final cost of $45,000.

 

 

Heitman Building
(Multiple Businesses)

Originally built in 1989 by brothers Gilmer and Harvie E. Heitman, it was the first brick structure in the City of Fort Myers.  Although the building has undergone alterations throughout the years, it looks today much as it did long ago.  The building has been occupied by the Bank of Fort Myers, an insurance office, the Western Union Cable and Telegraph office, Sears & Roebuck Company, and as the department store of M. Flossie Hill.

 

 

Heitman-Evans Building
(Multiple Businesses)

In 1914 Harvie E. Heitman tore down a 40 year old structure to build what was promoted as one of the most modern hardware and sporting good stores in the country.  In fact, a publication from it’s opening stated “Traveling representatives from the largest cities of the north and east (and they ought to know), say that this store has no equal in the United States, and visitors to this city seldom fail to comment upon the metropolitan appearance of the establishment.”  The store opened in January 1915, at a cost of between $35,000 and $40,000.  The store also boasted “a large “Otis” electric safety elevator and the very latest and modern type of fixtures…giving the place of business an appearance that cannot be matched by the best hardware stores in the largecities.”

 

Hendry & Main Streets

This photo, taken around 1920 looks north from Hendry Street towards the Caloosahatchee. The building on the left is commonly known today as the old Lee County Bank Building prior to alteration in 1927.

 

 

 

Kress Building
(Multiple Businesses)

Built at a cost of $200,000, the buff brick three-story structure opened on September 18, 1928 as the S. H. Kress & Company Store.  The structure was billed as the most prominent and advanced store in Fort Myers, with reportedly nearly 6,000 people attending its opening.  It remained the S. H. Kress & Company store for nearly 20 years, and was later used as a variety store and woman’s clothing shop.  The building looks remarkably as it did when it first opened more than 80 years ago.

 

 

Langford Building

Taff O. Langford built the two-story structure in 1911 between the old livery stable and the Bank of Fort Myers.  It was later known as the Grand Theatre and showed pictures “that have passed by the Board of Censors and are morally clean.”  In 1915 a fire threatened the First Street block from Jackson to Hendry Streets but was saved by volunteer fireman and locals.  As a rival store, JC Penny was located in this building for many years, with Sears & Roebuck Company located across the street at the intersection of First and Jackson Streets.

 

Langford Kingston Home

The Langford Kingston Home was built in 1919 and is an excellent example of Prairie style architecture.  In fact, the Fort Myers Press reported that it was “Without question, the most modern and well-appointed dwelling in Fort Myers today.”  It was built for Walter G. Langford, a prominent businessman who assisted in bringing the Atlantic Coast Line to Fort Myers.  He also organized the First National Bank of Fort Myers.  Unfortunately, Langford died in 1920.

In 1925 George Kingston purchased the home from Langford’s estate.  Kingston had founded several companies in Indiana, primarily related to automobiles.  He is most known for the Kingston carburetor, which was used by Henry Fort in the Model T’s.

 

Leak Building

Originally constructed in 1925 the building cost was completed at an estimated construction cost of $30,000 and has a minimalist blend of Mediterranean Revival style, and post-classic, Chicago industrial style, both popular in the 1920's. The overall building design would accommodate a variety of uses, with the ground floor serving as office or retail, and the second floor which would likely have been more private containing either offices, hotel rooms, or as a meeting hall. Ironically, one of the first uses for the building was as a Chinese Restaurant. Although the building was altered significantly, it underwent restoration and rehabilitation in the early 2000's.

 

 

Lee County Bank Building
(Main Street Antiques)

This building was originally constructed by James A. Hendry in 1911 and used as a general store.  In 1927 it became headquarters for the Lee county Bank & Trust Co.  It was at that time that the exterior red brick was stuccoed over.  In 1932 the Lee County Bank & Trust Co. closed when unable to meet depositor demands.  After the banking moratorium of 1933, it was reorganized as the Lee County Bank.

Interestingly, it was in 1951 when the bank underwent remodeling that the mosaic of General Robert E. Lee and his faithful war horse Traveler were added on the Hendry Street side of the building.

 

 

McCrory's

The well known McCrory's store, located in the Earnhardt Building since it's construction in 1915 expanded to include this building upon completion in 1936. The building was one of few to be constructed downtown with an Art Deco flair, and today remains virtually identical to its original construction.

 

 

 

Murphy Burroughs Home

The home was originally built in 1901 by Montana rancher John T. Murphy for $15,000.  Prominent features of the home include the wraparound verandah and gable-roof with a Widow’s Walk.  Unusual for the time, the home included indoor plumbing and electricity.  Following Murphy’s death in 1914 the home changed hands a few times before being purchased by Nelson T. Burroughs, a very successful business man, in 1919, and whose daughter subsequently willed it to the City upon her death.  The home has been restored over the years, and the only significant changes to the original structure were the addition of a kitchen.  Today, the home remains, as a News-Press reporter once wrote, “one of the handsomest south of Tampa.”

 

Patio de Leon
(Multiple Businesses)

The Patio de Leon was the creation of Peter Tonnelier, a retired banker and businessman from Benton Harbor, Michigan.  Tonnelier moved to Fort Myers in 1912, and over the following few years he became the second largest property owner in Lee County.  His first purchase was the Stone Block building (at the eastern side of the patio, and as seen at the southwest intersection of First and Hendry Streets) for a price of $150,000, a cost that was considered outrageous at the time.  The patio was originally known as Tonnelier Court upon development in 1913.  By 1915 most of the buildings around the patio had been constructed by Tonnelier, and by the 1920’s the name changed to Patio de Leon.

 

 

39-41 Patio de Leon

Although little is known of this building, it was constructed circa 1926 and is unique for the Oriental/Moorish stylistic influences seen. The building was designed with a symmetrical three bay elevation, with the Moorish influenced turned columns, decorative plastered horizontal banding, and prominent central bay arch. It is suspected the building may have been commissioned by George Sims, another prominent Fort Myers developer who oversaw construction of several buildings around this time period.

 

 

Post Office Arcade
(Multiple Businesses)

Constructed by developer George R. Sims, the Post Office Arcade was completed in 1925.  Being an inventive developer, Sims leased a large space in the open arcade to the government as a post office at a lease rate of $1 per year.  Thus, ensuring pedestrian traffic, Sims was able to lease other spaces within the arcade for premium prices.  Interestingly, the arcade was the first building on Broadway Street, which was created as a result of Sims and his business partners offering to the County Commission that they would bear all expenses associated with creating the street.

 

 

Richards Building

Developer Albertus A. Gardner completed this four story "skyscraper" in 1924 at a cost of $150,000. It was built primarily as a home for Royal Palm Lodge, Knights of Pythias. Its architectural style is known as Italianate Commercial, a design popular in the late 19th Century. Notice the richly-decorated cornice above the fourth floor. The building was reported to have the first elevator in town. In 1945, R.Q. Richards bought the building and opened the Richards Pharmacy.

 

 

Rob & Stucky Building

The four-story brick structure was built as a showroom and warehouse for Virgil Robb & Harry Stucky in 1925. Their firm, known as the Robb & Stucky Furniture Company, occupied the building for 43 years. Its interior featured very high ceilings and a balcony overlooking the first floor showroom. While browsing, visitors were treated to free bottles of Coca-Cola, dispensed from a vending machine. Following a trend of businesses leaving downtown, the pioneer furniture company moved in 1968 to Colonial Boulevard.

 

 

 

Ryals Drug Store

First constructed in 1925 the building is best known as Ryals Drug Store, owned and operated by Earnest Hollis. The building had another long term established occupy its space by Parker Book Store. Major renovation occurred in the mid 1990's when the building spent many years as a restaurant, including Mama Bella's, Tropical Breeze Cafe, Downtown Fort Myers Pizza and Ricardo's Restaurant. In 2005 the building underwent significant restoration and now houses Cell Molnar & Associates, and Lit & More.

 

 

Tonnelier Block

Built by Peter Tonnelier as the Tonnelier Block, the commercial building was completed in early 1915. The building was designed with the large plate glass windows on the ground floor to provide adequate space for various establishments to showcase their merchandise and services. The second floor was designed to be used for either offices or as an annex to the adjacent Michigan Hotel. Although modifications have been made to the building, restoration over the past many years hs brought it to appear much as it would have upon original completion.

 

 

Tonnelier Court
(Patio de Leon)

Tonnelier Court has been a gathering place Downtown since development began throughout 1913 to 1915.  In addition to constructing most of the buildings around the court, developer Peter Tonnelier commissioned the paving of the court, which since development had planter beds and park seating.  In 1915 he constructed a cement and brick aquarium that held small alligators.  From then on, the north-south concourse of the court was known as “Alligator Way.”  Although the aquarium was removed in the 1960’s, one can still image the interest it would have created.

The left foreground of the photo shows part of the aquarium.  The building behind was known as the Omar Theater.

 

Whitehurst Federal Building
(Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center)

The Fort Myers post office, called the Whitehurst Federal Building was dedicated on December 9, 1933, and was an effort of the Works Project Administration (WPA).  The building is unique in Fort Myers for its rare use of Florida Key limestone.  Coral formations and a variety of seashells can be seen embedded in the building’s walls.  It is also unique as the design allowed access twenty-four hours a day.  It was completed at a cost of $200,000, and was said to be “the most attractive post office in a city of this size in America.”  During the 1960’s, a new post office was built on Monroe Street.  Today, the building is now home to the Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center.