121 East Marion Avenue - Smith Arcade

Built by Henry W. "Baker" Smith this unique structure is a forerunner of the enclosed mall shopping center.  The Arcade Building was the center of activity in Punta Gorda from 1926 to 1958.  During this period the U.S. Post Office was located in the building.  Residents made daily trips to the post office to receive their mail since the area did not have home delivery.  Also the Maxwell drug store, a small grocery store, a dentist's office, a radio repair business, a beauty parlor and a real estate office were located in the building.  It was a favorite activity to stop for ice cream while waiting for mail, probably in the drug store which had a soda fountain.  Today the Arcade is closed and the building houses the Perfect Caper Restaurant and a Florida Dept. of Correction state probation office.  

219 Sullivan Street

 

Circuit riding' Reverend George Gatewood bought this home in 1915.  He was a minister licensed by the Methodist General conference in 1899.  He preached to frontier churches that were beyond the reach of regular clerics with the help of occasional visiting ministers.  He attended the spiritual needs of 200 homesteaders in "Union Services" which were held in school houses throughout the area.  He and his wife supported themselves by operating "General" stores here in town  He also worked as postmaster, real estate salesman, fisherman and newspaper reporter.  He wrote two books of historical significance:  "Ox Cart Days to Airplane Era in Southwest Florida" and "On Florida's Coconut Coast"  both of which have been republished by the Punta Gorda Historical Society.  

225 Sullivan Street

This house,  believed to have been constructed in the late 1800s, was originally smaller than its current size.  It is a single-story home, with a one gable roof and wood frame construction.  The "gingerbread" trim across the front is handmade and of the same pattern as that of the Trabue Cottage in the Punta Gorda History Park.  This "gingerbread" design is also in the Farrington House.  The wood frame exterior is cypress, the interior is that of Florida heart pine.  The original weighted windows are still in place with their wide frames and wood sills, plus the wavy distorted glass of the past.  The small bedrooms are typical of those found in homes of that era.  

115 Gilchrist Street - Price House / 501 Shreve Street, History Park

 In 1915 Philadelphia architect Benjamin D. Price and his wife, Mary, combined two side by side cottages into one home.  B.D. Price was a noted church designer, the United Methodist Church on W. Marion Ave. is based on one of his plans.  Their son, Max Charles Price, also an architect joined them in 1918.  He designed several buildings in the area including the Grunwell House (Villa Bianca) in Solana and the county Stockade on Florida St.  Max Price was the first city manager and later served as mayor.  The Price House was originally sited at 115 Gilchrist St.  It was used as a bed and breakfast inn known as the Gilchrist Bed & Breakfast Inn, when it was sold to an investor who planned to demolish it.  The new owner was persuaded to donate it to the Historical Society instead of demolishing it. * It was moved to History Park in February 2005.

 

220 Goldstein Street/501 Shreve Street

This home has significant historical value because of the family whose lives are connected to the building.  Fritz Quednau and his wife, Belle, came to Punta Gorda in 1888 to establish a cigar-making business.  Established in 1892 and located at 220 Goldstein between Berry and Shreve St.  When Fritz died in 1896, his wife converted the cigar factory into a boarding house.  Fritz' son, Fred, was an early Punta Gorda fishing boat captain, a Punta Gorda cafe owner, mayor and sheriff.  Fred married Belle McBean and their daughter, Tosie Hindman, who reigned as supervisor of elections, lived in the house until her death. This house is currently located in the Punta Gorda History Park at 501 Shreve St., Punta Gorda, FL.

621 Retta Esplanade

Harry (Pete) and Reba Gaskill Goulding called this house home for many years.  Harry was widely known as he was comptroller of the Punta Gorda Fish Company.  This structure is typical of the many built between 1887 and 1900 to provide quick and inexpensive shelter for fishermen and their families.  Commonly called "dark to dusk" or "up and down" houses because a team of two carpenters could build one in a single day from sunrise to sunset.  The house is constructed of 1' x 12' planks of hard pine planked vertically instead of horizontally.  The cracks are coved with narrow strips of pine forming a "board and batten" siding.  The inside walls are board and batten also.  This construction was the dominant pre-railroad folk housing throughout most of the Southeastern United States.  It was easy to build and provided a sturdy and inexpensive home for the working man.  After Pete's death a new owner added to the structure.

451 West Retta Esplanade

 

Originally built by John C. Lewis in 1883.  Previous owners' (Paige 'Crosland' & Charles Polk) great grandfather bought it in 1907 as a wedding present for her grandfather and grandmother, Cecil and Emily Crosland.  Cecil's and Emily's sons, Robert, a general contractor and architect and his brother William collaborated to show the public an example of their architectural expertise and drum up business so in 1959 the house was given a facelift by them.  The original facade was frame with balustrades of upper and lower porches decorated with scroll work.

413 Retta Esplanade

In 1909, after the death of her husband, Sadie Farrington and her son, Henry,  moved from their large home on 109 Gill St. to this home on the corner of Durrance St. and W. Retta Esplanade. This move allowed Sadie to be closer to her best friend, Marian McAdow.  Perry McAdow was a wealthy goldminer and wheelchair confined.  Henry Farrington was McAdow's business manager and assistant in most of his businesses. 

Sadie was only 35 and had three children to support.  Henry left assets consisting only of their home, the four logs and 50 shares of DeSoto Manufacturing Co. stock.  Perry McAdow told her not to worry about the mortgage and she had a small quarterly income from the stock but not enough to live on.  She worked at the New Southland Hotel as manager.  She managed her personal affairs well and put Helen and Henrietta through Florida State University and saw them both well married.  In 1925 Sadie sold her home to George E. Truett for $12,500.  In turn he sold it to Rev. S. F. Stephens and he to the Maxwells.  Upon Sadie's death she was cremated and buried alongside her husband in Georgia.  As of 2006 the home is owned by Mr. and Mrs. Jeff and Janeen Wiler and they have restored it and enjoy the same views Sadie enjoyed.

401 Retta Esplanade

The original owners were James L. and Mary Lula Seward Sandlin.  James was a member of the first City Council and also mayor of the new city.  Of their six children born in the new city a baby boy lived only 3 days and their second child, Felix, died at 12 years old in 1902.  James Sandlin was an orphan who came to the area with the Morgan family prior to the town of Trabue platting and first settled on Alligator Creek.  He was here to see the first train arrive and soon was engaged in real estate, mercantile, citrus and coastal shipping businesses.  The "widow's walk" on the home enabled Sandlin to check ships at the nearby dock.  He died in 1903.  The house was purchased by Daniel Frank Smoak and also a mayor of Punta Gorda.  Judee Vee Smoak Moore is his daughter and her son Ricky Moore has contributed to this information.

321 Retta Esplanade

 

Built in 1932 by the Greenwald family from Black Rock, NC as a winter fishing retreat known as Horn House  Lena Greenwald, daughter of the original owner, married a local horticulturist/nursey man named Ed J. McCann.  McCann owned a nursery and hybridized amaryllis lilies.  He also served as mayor of Punta Gorda. 

520 East Olympia

Capt. W. H. Johnson had this house built in 1924 for his wife, Bertha.  She disliked their current two-story house on W. Goldstsein and Marion Ave.  Bertha was the daughter of Charles Guy Davis.  A craftsman-style house that received much publicity in popular magazines such as House Beautiful, Country Life and Ladies Home Journal.  Craftsman houses were inspired primarily by the work of two CA brothers Charles and Henry Greene.  They practiced in Pasadena from 1893-1914. The high-style bungalow is characterized by a low-pitched gabled roof with wide, unenclosed eave overhangs.  Roof rafters are usually exposed and decorative false beams or braces are commonly added under the gables.  Porches are either full or partial width and the roof is supported by tapered square columns or pedestals that frequently extend to ground level as do the ones here.  The original windows, doors, woodwork and floors remain in this house.

604 West Marion Avenue

 

Built by real estate agent William H. Johnson, the house is a classic Craftsman style bungalow of one and a half stories with massive tapering piers supporting the porch.  It is built of heart pine and bald cypress, locally cut and it retains it's original flooring and woodwork. Uneven floors and doors add to the charm.  Wallace Mobley owned and operated the Seminole pharmacy with his pharmacist brothers, Hugh, and Lester.  The three brothers purchased the Seminold Pharmacy from Dr. David N. McQueen Punta Gorda's first druggist.

554 West Marion Avenue/501 Shreve Street, History Park

Currently in 

Punta Gorda History Park

554 West Marion Avenue

*In 1915 Philadelphia architect Benjamin D. Price and his wife, Mary, bridged two side by side cottages into one home.  B.D. Price was a noted church designer, the United Methodist Church on W. Marion Ave. is based on one of his plans.  Their son, Max Charles Price, also an architect joined them in 1914/18.  He designed several buildings in the area including the Grunwell House (Villa Bianca*) in Solana and the county Stockade on Florida St.  Max Price was the first city manager and later served as mayor.  The Price House was originally sited at 115 Gilchrist St.  It was used as a bed and breakfast inn when it was sold to an investor who planned to demolish it.  The home was restored in the late 1990s by Hal Wotitzky, the great grandson of Jacob Wotitzky, one of Punta Gorda's first settlers. He was persuaded to donate it to the Historical Society instead of demolishing it. It was moved to History Park in February 2005.  

Jacob Wotitzky's first home in Punta Gorda c1890 was at 123 Gill Street (also listed in this blog).

412 West Marion Avenue

 

This was the long-time home of attorney John H. Hancock and his wife, Emma.  Since 1968 this home has been cared for by the Vuic family.  It is a rambling 23 room frame house and has a full front porch supported by columns on cement piers, bay windows and a front gable.  There are fireplaces in the living room and second floor master bedroom.  Heart pine floors and French doors accent the house.  Currently a large hedge surrounds the property.  It is across the street from the City Hall annex.  It was featured in the TV series Route 66 when an episode was filmed in Punta Gorda.   

607 Palm Avenue

 

Built by Hugh MacGibbon, a postmaster in Punta Gorda's early days,  in 1920 as a two-story Colonial Revival with a rectangular plan built up off the ground and situated on piers.  Contributing to the Punta Gorda Historical Residential District the details of the MacGibbon house include a simple classical frontispiece and boxed eaves.  At the time it was the only house on that block of Palm Ave. The street was called West Palm Ave. 

513 Palm Avenue

One of two houses built side by side to accommodate the railroad employees who worked for the railroad, which is now called the Seminole Gulf Railroad.  It was built in 1926 as a private residence in Mission/Spanish Colonial revival style.  Wood with shingles built on a continuous concrete foundation.  The roof is flat with a built-up front parapet.  The home is one story with an exterior fireplace.  

360 West McKenzie & Sullivan

 William Luther Koon and wife, Elsa lived here for many years. He was a local cattle baron, owner of Bee Branch Cattle Co.  He built this house in 1901.  It had an entrance on Sullivan St. and a side door on Charlotte.  A separate 'garage' was built to house the oxen used to pull the chuck wagon on cattle drives.  The building was moved to its present site in 1999.  W. L. Koon was also president of the Punta Gorda State Bank and used his own funds during the Great Depression to quell the depositors' panic.  This was the only one of the three banks in Punta Gorda to survive the depression.  Mr. Koon was uncle to Sallie Jones, the well-known educator in honor of whom the elementary school is named (Narranj St., Punta Gorda). She became one of the first women in Florida to be a Superintendent of Schools.  

124 McGregor Street

 Built in 1892 entirely of heart pine.  The original shake roof was replaced at the turn of the century with tin because of a fire that almost destroyed the entire town.  The original home built by Dora Hart, wife of Gustave Hart of the Hart Chandlery, was 1.5 stories.  Before 1905, the roof was raised approximately three feet creating the two-story home that exists today.  This home has been restored with special attention to detail.

1292 Lemon Street

This house was originally built on Marion Ave. and moved to Lemon Street and put on pilings to meet the flood regulations. Frederick Bell built this home in 1901.  Frederick came to Punta Gorda in the early years of the town with his mother.   He became a shipbuilder and married  Bertha Padgett.   They lived in this house with their 8 children. 

328 Goldstein Street

 Charles Dampier Willis and wife, Elizabeth built this home in 1956. He worked for Florida Power and Light and built this house as a retirement home.  He sold the house to his son, Jack.  The TV program, Route 66 filmed a segment in Punta Gorda in 1963 and this was one of the houses featured.  The episode featured two little girls playing jacks on the sidewalk in front of the house.  Episodes of this program were also filmed at the Will Quidau house on Harvey St.

231 Goldstein Street

 

Named after early settlers, Mr. and Mrs. Ephraim Goldstein.  This street houses the wood-frame home representing the Frame-Vernacular style.  This is square and one floor and more than one-room deep.  A porch has been added to the front and it is built on concrete piers as common during this era of 19th century Punta Gorda.  The chimney was on an outside wall and the fireplace is centrally located.  This was originally a residence.

Charlotte Harbor Area Historical Society News-Press, 12/3/1986 shows a photo of the house which has two stories.  The blurb says the home was dismantled in 1968 and built in 1886.