Visual Ephemera's Most Threatened Sites for 2012

The Florida Trust for Historic Preservation is publishing their call for the 11 most threatened historical places in Florida, so I thought I'd come with my own. Introducing the Visual Ephemera Top 12 Threatened Places in Florida. To qualify it has to be a subject I've blogged about, or at least closely related. Drum roll please....

12. McNamera Pontiac Sign(s), Orlando

I've blogged about vintage stuff in my town before and this is one of our best neon signs. There is also a great service sign around the corner. This dealership has been vacant for quite some time now and I see these signs ending up in someone's collection...

11. Firestone in St. Augustine

Every time we return to see the nation's oldest city, I am surprised to see this mid-century dealership still hanging in there, as it is prime real estate. It would be fun to see it re-purposed into something cool, but that seems unlikely.

10. Wreck Bar

A certain mermaid has been working hard to keep the Wreck Bar relevant while the Sheraton chain considers remodeling. One of the few porthole bars left in this country, it would be a shame to lose.

9. Tomoka State Park sculpture

Created by renown artist Frederick Dana Marsh, this monumental sculpture needs some loving in a big way. With our underfunded State Parks as caretakers, I don't see it happening soon.

8. Orange City Historic District

Historic District advocate Dallas Wittgenfeld says "most historically significant houses in Orange City are going to be demolished soon and right across the street from our historic founding hotel. Very sad."



7. The Marion S. Whaley Citrus Packing House, Rockledge

Despite being on the National Register of Historic Places, this future looks grim for this complex on US 1.



6. Bob White Citrus Packing Plant, De Leon Springs

What does one do with an old citrus processing facility? This complex of buildings on US 17 continues to deteriorate.

5. Glen Springs pool, Gainesville

Three Elks club members are doing all that they can, but without some help, the pool will eventually start to cave in.



4. Lake Worth Shuffleboard Courts

See previous post. The meeting to determine the future of the courts is later this month.

3. North Florida lakes

Drought+overuse of the aquifer=dry lakes. Livelihoods are being destroyed as it is difficult to fish where there is no water.


2. Florida Springs

Artist Margaret Tolbert says "although flow in the Itchetucknee has declined 15 percent, and White Springs, Nassau County no longer flows, it has scarcely excited notice..." in her book "Aquiferous". The quality and quantity of the water is at big risk, and the current political climate has made their preservation even more perilous.

1. Belleview Biltmore

The real reason for this post. I've blogged about Henry Plant's Tampa Hotel and the PICO building but never actually seen his former Hotel Belleview near Clearwater. Florida's last operating grand wooden hotel, the city of Bellair meets to consider a demolition permit next week. Want to help try to preserve it? Send an email to: the Mayor and commissioners: gkatica@townofbelleair.net, sfowler@townofbelleair.net, tshelly@townofbelleair.net, kpiccarreto@townofbelleair.net, mwilkinson@townofbelleair.net

Indian River Roadside Citrus

I like to drive the "blue highways" whenever I can to look for survivors of the development machine that constantly destroys or remodels anything old in Florida. I was cruising up US 1 in Brevard County, hoping to find mid-century motels or other commercial buildings from the era of the space race. A couple run-down seedy places survived but the best links to the previous century were examples of roadside citrus stands.

First was Harvey's Groves in Rockledge, a sprawling complex that at one time spanned both sides of the highway. Harvey's first opened as a small roadside stand in 1926. According to the Harvey's website, Roy and Blanche Harvey found themselves marooned in Brevard County after their car broke down on the way to Miami. Finding the Indian River area perfect for citrus, the Harveys grew their business by developing award-winning citrus and creating the Florida Gift Fruit Citrus Association.

Harvey's in 1949 from the State Archives of Florida

The Indian River Citrus District is a narrow strip running along the east coast of Florida from Daytona to West Palm Beach. Legal action in the 1930s limited the district to this six county area, as Indian River became a brand associated with premium quality citrus and today 75% of the state's total grapefruit crop originates from the district.

Historic images of Indian River citrus: citrus label, groves and a citrus stand. From the State Archives of Florida

I was pleased to see a great example of programmatic or mimetic architecture from Florida's citrus business in Melbourne. This round orange-shaped building was very likely originally used as a roadside citrus stand. Today, restored by the Melbourne Rotary Club, the iconic building sits on the lot owned by the Disabled American Veterans. Similar structures in California were recently added to the Falling by the Wayside list created by the Society for Commercial Archeology. I know of only one other in Florida near Mt Dora.

Sadly not all survivors form the heydays of Florida citrus are in good shape. The Marion S. Whaley Citrus Packing House in Rockledge, despite being on the National Register of Historic Places, looks to be slowly crumbling into the landscape. Most recently know as the Old Victory Groves Packing House, the large complex built in 1930 is said to be riddled with termites. Like the Bob White Citrus Packing Plant in De Leon Springs, the piece of Florida history will vanish unless action to preserve it takes place soon.




Off the blue highways, on the evil interstates, it is easy to see the contemporary relatives of these citrus stands. Florida Citrus Centers seem to share space with gas stations at all most every exit along 1-75 and I-95. Stocked with all varieties of citrus products from marmalades to candy, these businesses rely heavily on Florida kitsch like fake alligators to lure the roadside visitor into their store. While incredibly tacky, in a way I find it a refreshing adaptation of a grand Florida tradition.