Golden Gate Building

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Golden Gate Building
Golden Gate Building, Stuart, Florida 001.JPG
Golden Gate Building in 2010 after being renovated
General information
Architectural style Mediterranean Revival
Town or city Stuart, Florida
Country United States
Coordinates 27°09′56″N80°13′08″W / 27.16548°N 80.21899°W / 27.16548; -80.21899 Coordinates: 27°09′56″N80°13′08″W / 27.16548°N 80.21899°W / 27.16548; -80.21899
Completed 1925
Client Golden Gate Development Company
Owner Local Government: Martin County, Florida
Stuart FL Golden Gate Bldg name01.jpg
Stuart FL Golden Gate Bldg plaque01.jpg

The Golden Gate Building, built in 1925, is an historic real estate and land development office building located on State Road A1A at 3225 South East Dixie Highway (corner of South East Delmar Street) in the unincorporated community of Golden Gate south of Stuart in Martin County, Florida. It was built by the Golden Gate Development Company to serve as the sales office for its 200 block subdivision called Golden Gate. which was a re-subdivision of a part of the 1911 subdivision called Port Sewall. The Florida Land Boom, however, collapsed before it could be used as such. In 1926, it became the Port Sewall Post Office and it was later used as a church and then as an art studio, before being abandoned and falling into disrepair. [1] [2] [3]

Real estate is "property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, buildings or housing in general. Also: the business of real estate; the profession of buying, selling, or renting land, buildings, or housing." It is a legal term used in jurisdictions whose legal system is derived from English common law, such as India, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, United States, Canada, Pakistan, Australia, and New Zealand.

Land development altering of landscape, conversion of landforms

Land development is altering the landscape in any number of ways such as:

State Road A1A (SR A1A) is a north-south Florida State Road that runs along the Atlantic Ocean, from Key West at the southern tip of Florida, to Fernandina Beach, just south of Georgia on Amelia Island. It is the main road through most oceanfront towns. Part of SR A1A is designated the A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway, a National Scenic Byway. A portion of A1A that passes through Volusia County is designated the Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail, a Florida Scenic Highway. It is also called the Indian River Lagoon Scenic Highway from State Road 510 at Wabasso Beach to U.S. Route 1 in Cocoa. A1A is famous worldwide as a center of beach culture in the United States, a scenic coastal route through most Atlantic coastal cities and beach towns, including the unique tropical coral islands of the Florida Keys. A1A also serves as a major thoroughfare through Miami Beach and other south Florida coastal cities.

In 1989, the Golden Gate Building was listed in A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture, published by the University of Florida Press. [4]

In 2002, the Board of County Commissioners of Martin County bought it in order to prevent its destruction. Renovations which began in 2005 were directed first to shoring up the four walls which were in serious danger of collapse. Exterior renovations were completed in 2008 with a $48,000 grant from the state and it is anticipated that the interior will be restored by 2010. The Friends of the Historic Golden Gate Community spearhead the renovation efforts. Plans called for the 2-story 2,200-square-foot (200 m2) building to be increased to 4,000 square feet (370 m2) with the new space to be used to provide amenities such as the bathrooms necessary for a public community center. [5] [6] [7]

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.

National Register of Historic Places federal list of historic sites in the United States

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred preserving the property.

In 2017, a collaboration of non-profit agencies and funding partners throughout Martin County completed the renovation to the historic building, opening it to the public as the Golden Gate Center for Enrichment. The two-story community center features a library outpost and computer lab on the first floor with classroom space suited for diverse teaching layouts and uses. Martin County-based human services agency, House of Hope, manages the building and all of its operations, while program partners provide the community with workshops, classes, access to technology, and information sessions designed to enhance life skills, earning potential, health and overall well-being at no cost to participants [8] [9] . The exterior lot has been transformed into a nutrition garden maintained by House of Hope staff and volunteers which is accessed frequently as part of the "Gardening for Healthy Families" curriculum offered weekly to the community.

Related Research Articles

Martin County, Florida County in the United States

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Hardee County Courthouse

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The Columbia County Courthouse, built in 1905, is an historic courthouse building located at 173 NE Hernando Avenue in Lake City, Florida. It was designed by architect Frank Pierce Milburn in the Classical Revival style of architecture. It was built with a dome and cupola, which were removed before 1989, but were restored in 2003 during a major renovation and expansion of the courthouse. In 1989, the Columbia County Courthouse was listed in A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture, published by the University of Florida Press.

Dudley-Bessey House

The Dudley-Bessey House, also known as the Major Phillip B. H. Dudley Home, is an historic two-story, single-family house located at 110 SW Atlanta Avenue in Stuart in Martin County, Florida. Built in 1909 for Phillip B. H. Dudley, it features a first floor central hallway which runs from the street-side entrance straight though to the main entrance which faces the Halpatiokee River, now known as the South Fork of the St. Lucie River. All interior rooms open from this hallway. It later became home of Hubert W. Bessey, 1855–1918, one of the founders of Stuart, Sometime before 1989 the street side was altered by the addition of a long porch with a flat roof and a sloped roof over the entryway. Today most of the front porch has been enclosed and incorporated into the building, leaving only a sheltered entryway with a grander sloped roof over the entry way and hip roofs over the each side of the former porch. The interior has been restored and the building became the offices of United Yacht Sales.

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Woodmen Hall (Stuart, Florida)

Woodmen Hall is an historic 2-story wooden Woodmen of the World building located 217 SW Akron Avenue, corner of SW 3rd Street in Stuart, Martin County, Florida. It was built between 1913-1914 by local master carpenter Sam Matthews. Like many fraternal buildings built in the late 19th century and early 20th century, the ground floor was designed for commercial use, while the upper floor was designed for use as a meeting room for Pineapple Camp No. 150, Woodmen of the World as well as community groups. Prominent members of Pineapple Camp include George W. Parks, who had a general store in what is now the Stuart Heritage Museum and in 2000 was added to the state's list of Great Floridians. Early users of the first floor include H.A. Carlisle's Feed Store. From the 1930s until 1959, Southern Bell used the first floor as a business office, while the Stuart telephone exchange was located on the second floor. Recent uses have included a church and a coffee house and open mic music venue. One group performing in it even calls itself, Woodmen Hall. The building has been recently renovated through the efforts of Stuart Main Street. An elevator has been added. The double outside staircases on the eastern part of the south side have been reduced to one, while an outside staircase has been added on the north side toward Akron Avenue. The two large front windows differ from those shown in a 1925 photograph. "

Coca-Cola Bottling Plant (Trenton, Florida)

The Coca-Cola Bottling Plant is an historic one-story redbrick building located at 517 North Main Street in Trenton, Gilchrist County, Florida. Built in 1925, the building was listed in 1989 in A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture, published by the University of Florida Press. At the time of its listing, it was "in disrepair and not in use." Today it has been renovated and is being used by the Suwannee Valley Quilt Shoppe and the Suwannee Rose Cafe.

Feroe Building

The Feroe Building, also known as the Harry C. Feroe Building and the Stewart Building, is an historic two-story commercial building located at 73 S.W. Flagler Avenue, corner of S.W. St. Lucie Avenue in Stuart, Martin County, Florida. To its north of along Flagler Avenue is Fellowship Hall built in 1912 as the Bank of Stuart, while to the east along Flagler Avenue is the Lyric Theatre built in 1925 and later expanded. Built and named for Harry C. Feroe, who was associated with Charles C. Chillingworth in the development of Palm City, it was built in 1913 by local contractor Sam Matthews using locally manufactured concrete blocks which had been cast by Frank Frazier to look like stones. The ground floor, which fronted on St. Lucie Avenue and featured cast-iron columns, was designed for retail use, while the second floor, which was accessed by stairs from an entrance on the Flagler Avenue side of the building, was designed for office space. Later in 1913 the Florida East Coast Railway built its now demolished Stuart Depot directly across Flagler Avenue from the building, which enhanced its value. Early ground floor tenants were the Stuart post office in the corner space and the Stuart Drug Company to its north. After the post office moved out, its space was occupied by various other businesses until eventually being combined with the drug store space. Marilyn's Pharmacy, a Rexall agency, occupied the space in the 1960s and early 1970s. In the middle 1980s local lawyer Larry M. Stewart brought the building and renovated it for his law offices. The main entrance was moved to the east side of the building with access from a courtyard which is entered from Flagler Avenue through an arched wrought-iron gate.

Capt. John Miller House

The Capt. John Miller House is an historic wooden house at what is now 12387 South Indian River Drive, in St. Lucie County, Florida. Its mail comes from the Jensen Beach post office in nearby Martin County. Built by local pioneer Capt. John Miller beginning around 1889 and ending around 1901, it started as a two-room one-story house and ended up a ten-room two-story house with a cross-gabled roof. In 1989, it was listed in A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture, published by the University of Florida Press.

References

  1. A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture, 1989, Gainesville: University of Florida Press, p. 137, ISBN   0-8130-0941-3
  2. Martin County Growth Management Department: Golden Gate redevelopment
  3. Stuart News, June 14, 2008, Golden Gate Building may be renovated by 2010 by Veronica Holt
  4. A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture, 1989, Gainesville: University of Florida Press, p. 137, ISBN   0-8130-0941-3
  5. A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture, 1989, Gainesville: University of Florida Press, p. 137, ISBN   0-8130-0941-3
  6. Martin County Growth Management Department: Golden Gate redevelopment
  7. Stuart News, June 14, 2008, Golden Gate Building may be renovated by 2010 by Veronica Holt
  8. Jacobs, Tara. "Communications". Golden Gate Center for Enrichment. House of Hope. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  9. Golden Gate Center for Enrichment information and online calendar.