DOWNTOWN--FIVE POINTS Preview

THIS TOUR STARTS ON GULFSTREAM AVE., SARASOTA --

The best place to start the tour is by PARKING ALONG GULFSTREAM AVE. JUST PAST MAIN ST., NEAR DOUGHBOY WAR MEMORIAL at JD Hamel Park to get a better idea of the location of Hover Arcade, Scots Landing and Halton Sanitarium. You can walk around the area after listening to the audio. (In this area is back- in parking and further down the street is pull in parking.)

Gulfstream Avenue Historic Sites: The area was formerly part of Sarasota Bay and the Hover Arcade was bayfront property with a pier that extended into the water.

Hover Arcade/Pier: The original dock was constructed by the Florida Mortgage and Investment Company in 1886 near the spot the Scot Colonists landed the previous December, and was purchased by Harry Higel. Higel offered it to Sarasota in 1905 for $1,500. Then in 1910 he offered it again to the city for $5000. The city didn't buy. Higel sold it to the Hover brothers from Lima, Ohio and in five months the Arcade was built, with construction starting in 1913.

In 1916 there was a bond issue to raise $18,000 to build a pier. The vote passed, but the city did not own any waterfront property. Since a landlocked pier didn't make much sense even to politicians, Plan B went into effect to float a bond for $40,000 to buy the Hover Arcade from the Hovers. Could this have been when the precedence was established for spending tax dollars?

Over the years it housed an ice cream parlor, a movie theater, the fire department, City Hall and also conducted the county's business before the Courthouse was built in 1927. In 1967, a new City Hall was built on 1st Street and the historical and charming Hover Arcade was demolished.

Scots Landing: On December 23, 1885 a number of Scottish families came ashore on or near this location to settle land they had purchased for their homes in a new country. They met wilderness and hardship instead of the established town promised them; causing many to leave the area and some returned in disappointment to Scotland.

Dough Boy/War Memorial at J. D. Hamel Park: A bronze World War I soldier known as the Spirit of the American Doughboy that was originally created in 1920. The Sarasota War Memorial was originally dedicated at Five Points and was relocated to this location.

Halton Sanitarium on Gulfstream: Dr Jack Halton and his brother Dr Joe Halton both practiced at this elegant Sanitarium until the Halton Hospital was built on Pineapple Ave. The facility sometimes housed guests such as Bertha Palmer, who was visiting from Chicago, because the local hotel was not “grand” enough for her.

Continue on Gulfstream, there will be a “No Outlet” sign, but you can circle around, park and listen to the audio and see Church of the Redeemer,

Church of the Redeemer Episcopal Church: (facing Gulfstream Ave) as the population grew in the area, so did the different church denominations. As early as the 1890’s, John Hamilton Gillespie approached the bishop to organize an Episcopal presence, but that did not happen until 1904. It was suggested the church might have been organized earlier had it not been for the unfortunate influence of Gillespie’s first wife, Mary. Her alcoholism was manifest in occasional public displays of drunkenness and the Bishop held her husband accountable for her behavior. After being elected mayor of the newly incorporated town of Sarasota, he was then recognized as a community leader. In 1922, Gillespie was ordained as a Deacon and could administer baptism, perform marriage ceremonies, as well as lead worship services. The church met in various places over the years until it was moved to this location.

Mira Mar by Andrew McAnsh on Palm Ave: With the land boom of the 1920’s, the city was looking for someone to build a first class hotel so they could compete with other cities in Florida. Andrew McAnsh was originally from Scotland, but lived most of his life in Chicago and made his fortune in furniture and construction businesses. The City agreed to not levy taxes for 10 years, plus provide free light and water if he would build a hotel, an apartment house and an indoor swimming pool.

He built the Mira Mar (which means “sea view” Apartments in 60 days working 24 hours a day. He then began construction on Sarasota’s premier hotel. The indoor swimming pool idea was exchanged for construction of a 1200 seat auditorium. McAnsh continued to spend winters in Sarasota until his death in 1946 in Chicago.

Directions Gulfstream to St Martha’s Church: exit Gulfstream onto McAnsh, next to the church.

Turn left at first cross street which is Palm Ave,

to go by the Mira Mar Apartments.

Continue on Palm Ave passing stop sign at Main St,

At roundabout take 1st exit to Cocoanut Ave (note Florida Studio Theater on left & because of parking, we will talk about it later in tour)

Go 2/10 mile past 1st and 2nd St,

Turn right at the light on Fruitville Rd about 4/10 mile,

(View photos at your next stop.)
Halton Residence: (308 Cocoanut) at the corner of Cocoanut and Fruitville on your left, you will be passing the Halton residence. This two story Miracle Pressed Stone, traditional Queen Anne style house, built in 1910 was a wedding gift to Dr. Joe Halton and his bride Mary Colt from her family from the “Colt Firearm Company." In later years Mary became ill and the first elevator in Sarasota was installed in the home.

St Martha’s Catholic Church will be on the corner of Fruitville and Orange Ave, go into parking lot behind the building to read historic marker and listen to audio

On the corner of Fruitville and Orange Ave, go into parking lot behind St Martha’s Catholic Church to read historic marker and listen to audio

Directions Gulfstream to St Martha’s Church: exit Gulfstream onto McAnsh, left at first cross street which is Palm Ave, past stop sign at Main St, at roundabout take 1st exit to Cocoanut Ave (note Florida Studio Theater on left & because of parking, we will talk about it later in tour) go .2 past 1st and 2nd St, right on Fruitville Rd also 3rd St about .4 mile, church will be on the corner of Fruitville and Orange Ave, go into parking lot behind the building to read historical marker and listen to audio.

St Martha’s Catholic Church: (200 N Orange Ave) There is a historic marker. Beginning in 1889, circuit-riding Jesuit priests served the pastoral needs of Sarasota's small, but devoted Catholic community. In 1912, after years of meeting in various homes, the congregation built a small wooden mission church at Adelia and Fruitville Roads on lots donated by the Owen Burns, T.C. Callan and George McAlpine families. The mission church was named in honor of St. Martha, the patron saint of Owen Burns' mother, Martha Ann. The church celebrated its first mass in February, 1913.

Following World War I, new families moved into the area, pews were purchased and a choir loft was constructed. In 1927, with a congregation numbering 132, St. Martha's gained parish status when Father Charles L. Elslander became the resident pastor, a position he held for forty years.

The winter quarters of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus fell within the parish boundaries, and Father Elslander reached out to the circus community including the annual blessing of the circus train as it embarked on national tours.

Directions St Martha’s to Edwards Theatre: (Opera House): exit parking lot, turn right on Fruitville Go 2/10 mile....

Turn right at light on Goodrich

Go 2/10 mile,

Turn right on Main St

Go 4/10 mile,

Continue on Main St through Orange Ave roundabout,

At Five Points roundabout take 2nd exit onto Pineapple.

Park on the street or in the Selby Library parking lot to listen to an extensive audio of the area.

Directions St Martha’s to Five Points & Edwards Theatre: (Opera House): exit parking lot, right on Fruitville .2 miles, right at light on Goodrich .2 miles, past stop sign, right on Main St .4 miles, at Five Points roundabout take 2nd exit onto Pineapple. Park on the street or in the Selby Library parking lot to listen to an extensive audio of the area. This is also a nice place to walk to see the historic marker at Five Points, Opera House (former Edwards Theatre) and Florida Studio Theatre (formerly Sarasota Women’s Club). There are also many restaurants in the area.

Five Points, intersection of Main, Pineapple and Central have been the anchor for downtown Sarasota for much of its existence. The building at the northeast corner of Main and Central has been the focal point of many photographs over the years, often a symbol of Sarasota’s commercial activity.

Soon after colonists from Scotland arrived in 1885, a hotel-boardinghouse was built on that corner. Even at the beginning, it was important to have housing for visitors, construction workers and potential land buyers. Entrepreneur Joseph Lord demolished two boarding houses and built the First Bank and Trust Company with steam heat in every office, drinking fountains on each floor and the first passenger electric hydraulic elevator in Sarasota. After the collapse of the Florida Land Boom in 1927 and the stock market crash in 1929, First Bank and Trust closed and the Palmer Bank moved from the Orange Blossom Hotel and relocated to Five Points. The current building is now called Plaza at Five Points.

At Main and Palm Avenues installation of feeble lights were strung on power poles. Locals did not trust the new-fangled system and kept their gas and kerosene lamps for a backup.

Historic Five Points Clock: The stain glass clock dates back to 1926 when First Bank and Trust opened in downtown Sarasota with the clock mounted on the building. Decades later, when the structure was known as the Palmer Bank Building, the clock was placed into storage during a renovation project and apparently forgotten until city employee, Carroll “Corky” Ramsey discovered it. Although the clock was in pieces, Ramsey used his welding skills to restore it in its original grandeur. Ultimately, the timepiece was placed on two poles on the southeast corner where it remains today.

A Sarasota old timer reflected that in the days prior to air conditioning, folks here used to congregate on this corner to get relief on sweltering summer afternoons.

Edwards Theatre: (currently Sarasota Opera House) 61 N Pineapple Ave was built in 1926 was part of A.B. Edwards' promotion of Sarasota as a great resort city. Edwards was born north of the area that became downtown Sarasota before the colonists arrived from Scotland in 1885. Edwards was a lifelong promoter of Sarasota. He sold real estate and insurance and served two terms as mayor, the first of which was just after Sarasota became a city in 1914.

The Mediterranean Revival style Edwards Theater was designed to accommodate a variety of programming: theatrical performances by road companies, silent films and vaudeville. The main auditorium and balcony seated 1500 people. The building included shops, offices and apartments.

Over the years, performers, who later became famous, played for Sarasota audiences at the theater. Will Rogers, Sally Rand, the Ziegfeld Follies and Elvis Presley were among them. The wife of the manager during the 1950s later described Presley as "one of the sweetest men I've ever met; at night he'd call his mother."

One of the most popular and star-studded events at the Edwards Theater (then called the Florida Theater) was the world premiere of Cecil B. DeMille's "The Greatest Show on Earth" in 1952. The movie had been filmed in Sarasota and residents flocked to see themselves and friends in the filmed crowd.

Anecdotes abound in recorded memories. Early film was flammable. A student who worked at the theater part time remembered the fire department coming to extinguish the burning film during the showing of "The Six Day Bike Race." Another former employee recalled that to combat the mosquitoes, which gathered in the unscreened theater, ushers would spray insecticide in front of the large fan that cooled the auditorium.

The Sarasota Opera Association purchased the building and began an extensive renovation project. It is currently an opera house and theater for a variety of the performing arts and community events.

The Halton Hospital, formerly located at 113 N Pineapple: According to Larry Sewell, great grandson of Dr. Jack Halton, he was born in the same room at the hospital as his mother, Muriel Smith Sewell. According to Mike Halton, who was also born in the hospital, he remembered an elevator that had to be moved with a rope pulley. It was common practice for doctors to accept produce in lieu of cash payment for their services. Early air conditioning in the hospital consisted of a basin of ice hung from the ceiling and there was an opening where a pipe was extended through it to the chimney. We certainly have come a long way making patients more comfortable!

The Halton family was instrumental in early Sarasota. In addition to the medical impact, family members owned and operated the Sarasota Hardware on Main Street as well as the Roth Cigar Factory.

We passed Florida Studio Theatre on the way to St Martha’s, which was formerly the Sarasota Women’s Club and Town Improvement Society founded by Rose Wilson. In 1907, they raised $65 and debated on how it could be spent. Did the community want to purchase a hearse or would they like to establish a library? The library won and the library opened on a Saturday afternoon and started with donated books in a location owned by John Gillespie.

The women were instrumental in planting trees along Main Street. They began a census and birth registration. In 1915, they moved into their new home, which is now the Florida Studio Theatre.

They were given $2,000 from Bertha Palmer to clean up the city. Rose Wilson was a founding member of this group. Rose was the first woman to register to vote and was instrumental in getting the women of the area ready to vote after the 19th amendment had passed.

Rose Wilson and her husband C. V. S. first published The Sarasota Times in 1899. After his death in 1910, Rose continued to publish the weekly and nine years later became its editor. She used the paper to voice her concerns and opinions. After the referendum passed in 1921 for Sarasota to become a county, Wilson immediately changed the name of her paper to the Sarasota County Times.

You may end your tour here, but I encourage you to walk around the area to read the historic markers and stand under the famous clock in the heart of downtown Sarasota. You may also want to get a closer look at the Opera House and Florida Studio Theatre (formerly Women’s Club), do some shopping and enjoy visiting some of the restaurants in this downtown area.

I would like to thank Larry Magill and Sarasota Scene Magazine for sponsoring this tour and for research provided by Kim Patton Manning. I hope you have learned some interesting facts about early Sarasota and will return again to explore this area. Don’t forget there are other auto tours and you will want to take all of them. Tell your friends about the tours, have a good day and drive carefully!