Historic Stuart, Florida

On Saturday, February 12, 2011 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. the public is given the extraordinary opportunity to 'step-back' in time to see first-hand some of the homes, businesses and entertainment buildings that have served the residents and visitors of Stuart and Martin County alike for decades. The oldest commercial building dates to 1901 and the 'newest' structure was completed in 1926. All the homes and buildings are centered in the downtown Stuart section.

The annual tour is sponsored by the Stuart Heritage, Inc., which runs the Stuart Heritage Museum located in the Stuart Feed Store building and serves as the organization's major fundraising event of the year. The ticket donation is $15 per ticket.

The eight homes and buildings can be visited in any order throughout the day and each visitor can stay as long as they like in each location. At the Lyric Theatre on Flagler Ave. there will be full tours of this 1926 entertainment center scheduled every half hour. Each visitor attending the historic home and building tour will also receive a complimentary brochure which provides historical information on all the tour stops plus pages of additional information on other historical buildings nearby.

There is parking all along Flagler Ave. and at Woodlawn Park near Confusion Corner and Colorado Ave. The Sailfish Shuttle tram will provide free transportation from the parking areas to the tour locations. Visitors can easily walk and enjoy experiencing the charming shops of the historical downtown streets of Flagler, St. Lucie, Osceola and Seminole. Light refreshments will be served during the day at the Stuart Heritage Museum.

Additional information and tickets are available at the Stuart Heritage Museum (772-220-4600). Tickets at $15 each can also be purchased at the ReMax of Stuart office, Jensen Beach Travel, Beach Front Mann Realty, Salon NR of Palm City, The Travel Gallery of Hobe Sound and the Elliott Museum.

There will be a preview presentation of this year's Historic Homes and Buildings Tour at Stuart City Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011 at 7 p.m. sponsored by the Stuart Heritage, Inc. The public is invited. Tickets will be available that night for purchase.

Everyone can show their support of the fine work done at the Stuart Heritage Museum by purchasing tickets and attending the Historic Home and Building Tour on Saturday, February 12, 2011. This year's tour is dedicated to the late Christine Sawicki (1951 - 2011), President and CEO of the Stuart Heritage Inc.

The tour locations featured are:

Crary House at 171 S. W. Flagler Avenue which was built in 1926 on Cardinal Way in St. Lucie Estates off of East Ocean Blvd. and was moved in 2010 to Flagler Ave. to preserve the structure. It was the home to FL State Senator, Evans Crary, Sr. and his family. Rick Crary, a descendant, will be on hand to provide information on the house and his family.

Geo. W. Parks General Merchandise Store at 161 S. W. Flagler Avenue (Stuart Heritage Museum) was constructed in 1901 by George Parks. The general store was one of the first commercial buildings in Stuart. It is a wood frame vernacular style with a false front and a gabled tin roof. Since mid-century it has been known as the Stuart Feed Store. As of August 1992, the Stuart Heritage, Inc. has operated the Stuart Museum in the building.

Atwood / Parks House at 151 S. W. Flagler Avenue was built in 1903 in the traditional peaked-roofed Florida cracker-style by Noah Parks, a brother of George W. Parks, who operated the General Merchandise Store next door. In 1916, the home was brought by Calvin Atwood and used over the decades by three generations of Atwood family members. The building still has the peaked roof.

Lyric Theatre at 59 S. W. Flagler Avenue was the third theater owned by the Hancock family. The grand third Lyric was made of concrete in a Mediterranean Revival style with special Italian detailing. This new building in 1926 cost of $100,000 and was a lavish and impressive theater for Stuart with wonderful acoustics. Behind the scenes and additional history will be offered by the Lyric for those on the Historic Homes and Buildings Tour every half-hour.

Platt / Porter House at 100 Colorado Avenue a 2-story house was built in 1904 for Francis Marion Platt. By 1908 the home was sold to Charles and Ethel Porter. The name 'Owl House' comes from the unique four-pointed gables which face the St. Lucie River. Designed by a former sea captain, such a configuration was created to protect the roof structure from hurricane winds. The grandson of Charles and Ethel Porter, Charles Porter, will offer up some interesting stories of the house and life in Stuart the day of the Tour at the Owl House.

Woodlawn Park subdivision dates back to 1913 and was part of the Frazier family homestead property. The Stuart Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) in 2010 has made improvements in street lighting, sidewalks, water-sewage and landscaping for the Woodlawn Park area and neighborhood, located on East 5th and 6th Streets, just west of Confusion Corner and the railroad tracks. The following three places are featured in the Woodlawn Park subdivision.

Hull / Lane House at 34 SE 5th Street is part of the Woodlawn Park subdivision. The house was built for B. F. and Lottie Hull and they moved into the home by May 1913. Years later this 2-story home was sold to the Roy and Mabel Lane. Roy Lane, was a former fire chief for Stuart and owner of Lane's Garage. Presently the building serves as the law offices for John Sherrard. A Lane descendant, John Cooper, will be on hand at the house the day of the tour.

Harmony Healing Arts Center at 500 SE Dixie Highway is part of the Woodlawn Park section and was built in 1927. It was a commercial building, called the 'Bell Building' from the beginning and has been numerous businesses over the years. During a recent renovation a 12" x 12" Dade County pine support pillar that was not needed was made into a historical marker and placed outside the building. The building serves today as the offices for chiropractors, Drs. Randy and Bruce Hansbrough.

Clark Family Buildings at 26 E 6th Street are part of the Woodlawn Park subdivision. The property was purchased in 1925 by Emerson L. Clark, co-owner of the Stuart Hotel. The land was then sold in March 1926 to his brother, Earl Clark and a two-story building constructed and made into apartments. Earl Clark had his machine shop in the back garage building. The buildings presently belong to Michael Flaugh, a landscape architect. Lynne Fensterer, an artist, maintains a studio in the building.