2. Ft. Myers was one of the first forts built along
the Caloosahatchee River as a base of
operations against the Seminole Indians in
1850 in honor of Colonel Abraham C. Meyers.
Fort Myers eventually became quite an impressive base. At it's
peak, it featured a 1,000 foot wharf, and more than 50 buildings
constructed of hardy yellow pine. The cleared ground around the
fort fell roughly within the area bounded by the present day
Hough, Monroe and Second streets.
Abandoned in 1858, Ft. Myers was re-occupied for a few weeks the
following year. The War Between the States brought federal troops
back in 1863 for a stay of 2 years, but at the wars end, Ft. Myers was
abandoned by the military once and for all.
3. The twentieth century dawned with 943 residents in Ft. Myers. The town was
experiencing what an historian called a "building boom." The "boom" actually
began in 1898 with the construction of what is now called the Murphy-
Burroughs home setting the standard. Within the next few years a number of
more elaborately decorated framed vernacular homes appeared along First
Street and out along Palm Beach Boulevard.
The growth of the community was greatly facilitated in 1904 with the arrival of
the Coast Railroad, with its terminus at a dock on Monroe Street.
Also in 1904 a series of building
booms fostered several new
residential subdivisions beyond
Downtown, including Dean
Park, Edison Park, and Seminole
Park. During the same
year, construction began on the
Bradford Hotel which still stands Bradford Hotel
on First Street.
4. Over time the original wooden buildings of downtown were replaced with
masonry and brick buildings, many of which still exist today. Fort Myers even
saw its first sky scraper Downtown in 1924 with the seven-story addition to the
Franklin Arms Hotel. 1924 also marked the construction of a wooden bridge
spanning the Caloosahatchee, aptly named the Edison Bridge, after our most
famous winter resident. A power plant, several banks, commercial ice plants
and new hotels reflected the increase pace and growth during the first decade
of the century.
6. Sydney Berne Davis Art Center
Formerly known as the Whitehurst building, the
23,000 square feet Federal building opened in
1933 as a United States Post Office and attracted
visitors from near and far to marvel at its unique
architecture and ornate decorative details. The
building’s massive columns are made of Florida
Key limestone. Its walls are embedded with coral
formations and sea shells.
The building and its surrounding site has a long history
and, thus, has become part of the local heritage. The site on which
the building now stands was a Native American Calusa Indian
settlement hundreds of years ago. In the mid-1800s, the site
became home to the original fort of “Fort Myers” and site of the
officer’s quarters.
The building was converted into a federal courthouse in the 1960s.
Eventually, it was vacated in 1998 after a new courthouse was built
nearby.
7. Sydney Berne Davis Art Center
In 2003, Jim Griffith and Florida Arts, Incorporated, the operator
of the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, acquired a 99-year lease
from the City of Fort Myers on the building. Florida Arts, Inc.
agreed to meld the past with the future by restoring the building
to its original magnificence, while creating a modern arts facility.
In 2007 construction began for Phase
1 which included completion of all life
safety for the entire building and
opened to the public September
10, 2009. To date 10,000 square feet of
the building have been restored and
continuously provide world-class arts
programming to the community.
Keep an eye out for more
developments in the near future.
8. Post Office Arcade
Originally built as an open air, L-shaped space with
entrances on both Broadway and First Street, developer
George R. Sims cunningly leased a large space to the U.S.
Post Office for only $1 per year.-that way, would guarantee
postal visitors, he could charge other tenants high rates.
The Post Office was moved to the Whitehurst Building in
1933, but other stores remained, like the popular eatery The
Snack House.
A scene for the movie Just Cause, starring
Sean Connery and Laurence Fishburne, was
filmed in the Arcade in 1994 just before the
first street half was demolished to make way
for the Federal Courthouse. Today, the Post
Office Arcade is enclosed and is home the
new Hotel Indigo and Ichiban Restaurant.
9.
10. Fort Myers Art Walk
First Fridays of the Month
ArtFest Fort Myers (Seasonal)
