The newest plans to revive historic McCollum Hall near downtown Fort Myers include a restaurant, music venue and business center. Community Redevelopment Agency commissioners approved the concept during its Wednesday meeting.
Jeffrey Mudgett, one of the partners of Parker Mudgett Smith Architects, presented the plan to the mayor and city council members acting as CRA commissioners.
The approval included a two-story design that includes a 160-seat restaurant, a music venue/theater that could hold 200 to 300 people, a balcony, community room, recording studio, flexible outdoor space and a business center that could house as many as 18 tenants.
McCollum Hall, at the corner of Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard and Cranford, was built in 1938 and is on the National Registry of Historic Places. Many black musical acts played at the hall, attracting white and black audiences during a time of segregation.
The CRA took over responsibility to come up with a plan after the city cut ties with GNC LLC, the most recent developer who tried to resuscitate the property.
The CRA held several public meetings earlier this year to ask residents what they wanted to see done with the building.
Four quotes from public meetings stuck with Mudgett.
The first was “music brings everyone together. Races. Ages. Demographics.”
The second was “black business owners have lost hope.” The opportunities aren’t there for black business owners, Mudgett was told.
The third quote was about McCollum Hall’s past. “It was a rhythm and movement. A gathering place, a pulse.”
The fourth quote was “just get it done.”
The CRA took over the property in 2008 and has spent $2.8 million maintaining it. A state grant paid for the outside restoration in 2016.
McCollum Hall has gone through four developers trying to revive it.
“We really took that to heart and what you’re going to see today might be a little more humble than some of the previous schemes, but it’s how you get things done,” Mudgett said. “It has to be realistic. It has to be buildable. It has to be rentable. It has to make for excitement in the community.”
The cost of the project wasn’t discussed Wednesday.
Mudgett said many people asked for a formal outdoor area. The property doesn’t have room for a park, but the concept includes a courtyard that can be used for weddings or children’s concerts.
Mudgett gave the commissioners two options – a smaller one-story building or two stories.
Commissioners unanimously agreed that the project should be two stories.
“This is long overdue and we need to do it right. We owe it to the community to do it right. So, we definitely need to go with the two stories,” Mayor Kevin Anderson said.
Commissioners also approved soliciting restauranteurs to run the restaurant, a solicitation to run the performing arts portion and to hold a public hearing July 22 to purchase property next to the hall.
Sonya McCarter, executive director of Bridging the Gap Center for the Arts, the only person from the public to speak, asked commissioners when soliciting for the performing arts company to include more than music.
Commissioners decided not to authorize staff to begin developing documents to establish a non-profit McCollum Hall Foundation until holding a workshop to determine and clarify what the organizational structure will be.
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