Town receives award for Historic preservation efforts
Each year, the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation recognizes significant contributions to the preservation of Florida’s historic resources through its Annual Statewide Preservation Awards Program. During the 2010 annual conference in Lee County, the Town of Fort Myers Beach was presented with two meritorious achievement awards – for Preservation Education/Media with the Calusa Carts: A Mobile Mound House project and in Adaptive Reuse of Seven Seas at Newton Park.
Calusa Carts
The Calusa Carts concept originated from the desire to take the Mound House shell mound exhibit on the road and funded with competitive grants from the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources and Florida Humanities Council.
Using original research conducted during the creation of interpretive exhibits at the Mound House including a walk-in exhibit room where a swimming pool once damaged the Calusa Indian mound, the carts combine graphics, text, audio-visual, and interactive components to tell the story of the Calusa Indians and how archaeologists learn about past societies in a highly visual and interactive way. Built on all-terrain vehicle bases, the carts are transportable to university campuses, public schools, retirement communities, and other cultural and environmental facilities to increase public awareness of Florida’s past.
The carts were designed by John LoCastro and Mary Frances Turner of Synergy Design Group, Tallahassee and constructed by Explus, Inc.
Seven Seas at Newton Park
Seven Seas, as Jim and Ellie Newton affectionately called their home, was constructed in 1953/1954. In the context of south Florida’s 1950s land boom and the residential development of Fort Myers Beach, the Gulf front home is a typical but fine example of cottage construction. Jim and Ellie Newton and the time spent in this building hosting many events that attracted internationally known persons are significant to island social history. Based on these architectural and social attributes, the Town of Fort Myers Beach designated the building as a historic resource in 2009 and embarked on a rehabilitation effort. Today the restored home serves as the centerpiece of Newton Park providing community gathering space, administrative offices, and beach rest room and bathhouse facilities. In addition, the surrounding grounds have been recently upgraded with native plantings, pedestrian pathways, bocce courts, a beach crossover and parking improvements. Interpretive signage which is in the design phase will eventually guide the visitor through the park and illustrate both the site’s history and its coastal setting. Jim and Ellie Newton would be pleased to know their residence remains a key gathering place on Fort Myers Beach for visitors from across the globe.
The restoration of Seven Seas was funded by the Town of Fort Myers Beach and the Lee County Tourist Development Council. John Parks and Kathryn Younkin of Renker Eich Parks Architects, St. Petersburg designed and engineered the restoration of Seven Seas, which was meticulously restored by Bill Azevedo and Jeff Maddox of Maddox Construction Company.
— Submitted by Theresa Schober, the Town’s Cultural Resources director.