264 Marion Ave.

Abe Ephraim Goldstein was the first merchant in Punta Gorda to build a small furniture store on this site.  In 1887, he also persuaded carpenters working on the new Hotel Punta Gorda to devote one day to building a two-story home next door for his wife and son who were arriving unexpectedly the next day.  The present structure is constructed of patent stone concrete blocks with rusticated faces to mimic stone.  This was the first store constructed with masonry as opposed to wood.  

Over the years many retail establishments have occupied the building including Vasco Peeples’s IGA store during which time Mr. Peeple’s family lived in the upstairs apartment.  Later businesses included a bakery and an ice-cream sandwich shop (Cubby’s).  Cubby's closed in 2023 and a new establishment called Punta Gorda Deli Co. and Mercantile opened in 2023.   As a result of Hurricane Milton in October 2024, This building has been determined to be too damaged to reopen.  

115 Gill Street

 

Purchased by Grove Cochran, born in 1834 in New York and a Union Army veteran. He moved to Charlotte Harbor in 1885. He volunteered for a six-year voyage on a whaling ship at age 13; sailed the Great Lakes, worked as a locomotive engineer on the railroad, served under Gen. Sherman in the Civil War and had a bayonet wound as a souvenir. He claimed a pharmacist certification in Arkansas and opened a pharmacy on Marion Avenue upon moving to Punta Gorda. The house currently contains many of its original features and the front door is original. Eyebrow windows, hardwood floors, beadboard throughout and 12 foot ceilings.