Seminole Park

The Seminole Park Neighborhood was originally platted by the Stadler Realty Company following a plan by E.M. Collins, Jr., a local civil engineer with the J.A. Davison Co.  Charles A. Stadler, a former New York Senator and well known millionaire was owner of the company and was also a well known developer who built high quality homes.  He acquired the property through several purchases between 1909 and 1924.

In 1924 Stadler had relatively large lots of varying size laid out along the three main sides of the trapezoidal property creating an interior triangle.  A total of 38 lots were platted, their size generally from 120’ to 150’ wide by 200’ to 225’ deep, and they generally went from one street to another.

One of the most interesting aspects of the subdivision design is the interior triangle of blocks.  It is within this area that the park setting or protected environment that gives the subdivision its unique character.  Another prominent feature of several of these blocks includes large sweeping curves at the corners.  The areas left in the center of the roadways at the intersections because of the curves, create traffic islands, which add to the park like quality of the neighborhood.

The sizes of the lots were quite generous and clearly intended for relatively large homes.  Local tradition suggests that Stadler built a number of the two story homes as guest houses for his residence.  His exposure to the northeast made the Colonial Revival style a logical choice, which is the most predominant architectural style seen in the historic homes.

By 1925 the area was replatted as a result of most of the large lots having not been sold, very much indicative of the real estate bust Florida was experiencing.  Although the general layout has not changed since, property within each block has been altered in a variety of small ways to appeal to appeal to potential residents.

Today, the present condition of Seminole Park is relatively unchanged from its original street layout.  The most significant positive change to the neighborhood was the acquisition of the interior park in 1942 to be used as a City park.  Renovation activity began in the late 1970’s, and today an eclectic mix of homes can be seen throughout the neighborhood.

Seminole Park was designated as the fourth Historic District in Fort Myers in July, 1998.