911 West Marion Avenue

 This home was once the home of Mr. Walker, the Charlotte High School Athletic Director during the 1930's.  The home was also used as a boarding house for servicemen during World War II.  MR. WALKER'S FIRST NAME??

226 Taylor Street - Charlotte County Old Courthouse

After Charlotte County was established in 1921, there was a need for a County Courthouse.  The original building was constructed in 1928 on land sold to the county by George Brown.  

George Brown, an African-American and proprietor of the Cleveland Marine Steam Way, sold the property to the County for $25,000 which was considered a bargain during the Florida land boom of the 1920's.  The building cost $200,000.  It was built and designed by Architects Leitner & Henson of St. Petersburg in a neo-classical style to provide a stately appearance for official business.  A second floor housed a jail with living quarters and a kitchen for the jailer's family.  A balcony in the courtroom accommodated African-American spectators as segregation was a way of life when the building was erected.  

The new courthouse building was dedicated on Thursday, March 20, 1928, in a ceremony beginning at 8:00 p.m. The first term of the circuit court in the new building began with Circuit Judge George W. Whitehurst presiding, State Attorney Guy M. Strayhorn prosecuting.

The courthouse provided adequate space until 1963 when a wrap-around structure was added creating a total of 60,000 square feet. Building additions wrapped around three sides, including the front where the columns and a non-functioning clock were replaced with modern brick. A 4-story addition was linked to the back of the original building by ramps and stairs, and a 2-story section was built for the Sheriff's Office near Taylor Street. 

By the 1990s, the county had once again outgrown the facility.  An all-new Justice Center,  located off Marion Avenue, was opened in 1999.  

(Much of the information regarding the Old Courthouse was obtained from detailed scrapbooks and records assembled by Gussie Baker, now archived at Punta Gorda History Center and accessible online through the center's website.)   

 

501 Shreve Street - Punta Gorda History Park

Encouraged by the Punta Gorda Historical Society, the City of Punta Gorda provided a site to which historic buildings could be moved and preserved.  A project manager, Don Atwell, was assigned by the PGHS in 1997 for the park and the first building, the (Cigar Cottage) was moved to the Park in October 1999.  Through the hard work and efforts of many volunteers, the History Park had its grand opening later in 1999.  In the park you will find a parking area, and the El Palmetto Cigar Co. Cottage; The Trabue Lane Sales Office; the Quednau or Hindman House; the Calaboose and The Price House or Gilchrist Inn.  A map detailing the layout is in the small green binder entitled:  "Historic Houses and Buildings in Punta Gorda, FL."   WHERE ELSE CAN WE REFER THIS PARK MAP FOR CONVENIENCE OF PUBLIC VIEW.  

1250 Cooper Street - Charlotte High School

Construction of the school began in 1926 in response to student overcrowding caused by rapid development after the first bridge was built across Charlotte Harbor. Construction was delayed that year due to a hurricane, and the first commencement took place in the school’s auditorium, as the building’s classrooms were still under construction. 

This was the only high school in Charlotte County until Lemon Bay High School in the Englewood area was built in 1972 and Port Charlotte High School in 1981.  Until desegregation in 1963, students of color were bussed to Fort Myers for high school.  After Hurricane Charley in 2004 damaged the Charlotte High School building, extensive repairs were made.  The facade of the building was kept as originally designed.

Charlotte High School is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  FMSF #8CH443.  

 * The first complete high school in Punta Gorda was built  in 1896 located at 215 Goldstein Street, the site of Schoolhouse Apartments until 1909 when a new school was built as the high school age population grew.