McCollum Hall is a two-story building on the corner of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd and Cranford Avenue on the eastern side of downtown Fort Myers, just past the railroad tracks on the western edge of the Dunbar Community.
Built in 1938, McCollum Hall was a crown jewel for commerce and entertainment and served as a cultural landmark. Over the decades, the ground floor housed businesses including a men’s clothing store, a barber shop, a coffee shop, and a grocery store. The top floor featured a dance hall that, in its time, featured the likes of Louis Armstrong, B. B. King, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington among many others. McCollum Hall was a stop on what was called the Chitlin' Circuit during the segregation era. The performance space closed its doors in the early 1970s and for the building has for the most part has sat empty ever since.
The City of Fort Myers designated McCollum Hall as a local historic landmark in 1998 and it was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2022. Over the years there have been a number of stops and starts in efforts and plans to bring it back to life in some form. The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency took over the property in 2008 and repaired the roof and shored up the structure. The building’s facade got a facelift in 2016 with the help of a state historic preservation grant.
Now, the CRA has approved a new conceptual design proposal from Fort Myers architects Parker Mudgett Smith for the restoration and adaptive reuse of McCollum Hall which includes a restaurant, performing space, retail space and a business center...and the CRA has purchased the adjoining property so it will have a larger footprint.
We get caught up and find out what the new proposal entails, and what it’s going to take to bring it to life.
Guest:
Michele Hylton-Terry, Executive Director of the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA)
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Transcript created with Copilot. Please forgive any spelling errors or mistranslations.
Transcript
Mike Kiniry
This is Gulf Coast Life. I'm Mike Kiniry. Thanks for joining us. McCollum Hall is a two-story building on the corner of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Cranford Avenue on the eastern side of downtown Fort Myers, just past the railroad tracks on the western edge of the Dunbar community. Built in 1938, McCollum Hall was a crown jewel for commerce and entertainment and served as a cultural landmark Over the decades, the ground floor housed all kinds of businesses. The top floor featured a dance hall that in its time featured the likes of Louis Armstrong, B.B. King, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, among many others. McCollum Hall was a stop on what was called the Chitlin Circuit during the segregation era. The city of Fort Myers designated McCollum Hall as a historic landmark, local landmark, in 1998, and it was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2022. Over the years, there have been a number of stops and starts and efforts and plans to bring it back to life in some form. The city's Community Redevelopment Agency took over the property in 2008 and repaired the roof and shored up the structure. The building's facade got a facelift in 2016 with the help of a state historic preservation grant. Now the CRA has approved a new conceptual design proposal from Fort Myers Architects Parker Mudgett Smith for the restoration and adaptive reuse of McCollum Hall, which includes a restaurant, performing space, retail space, and business center. And the CRA has purchased the adjoining property, so it will have a larger footprint. Joining me to catch us up and find out what the new proposal entails and what it's going to take to bring it to life is Michelle Hilton Terry. She's executive director of the Fort Myers CRA. Welcome to the show, Michelle.
Michele Hylton-Terry
Thank you. Happy to be here.
Mike Kiniry
Tell us a bit about yourself and your background.
Michele Hylton-Terry
Okay, so I've been at Fort Myers for about 36 years. I came here via New York. I'm originally from Jamaica, and when I moved here with my three children in 1990, we loved it and decided to stay, raise the kids here. In 2003, I started working for the city of Fort Myers in the planning department, actually. Stayed there for two years, then I moved over to the redevelopment agency. I started over there as the office manager. That was a long time ago.
Mike Kiniry
I saw an interview where you said you've pretty much held almost every role at the CRA over your years there.
Michele Hylton-Terry
I have, and I've sat in almost every office, I think, for except one.
Mike Kiniry
Can you tell us what the CRA is and does?
Michele Hylton-Terry
The Community Redevelopment Agency is an arm of the city. We were created by the city to go into those underserved, underdeveloped areas of the city and do some targeted reinvestment. We receive increment funds from the growth in the property taxes, and we get to reinvest those dollars, whether it be doing some public infrastructure like a park. We've done several parks, common ground Park downtown is one of them. We also use those funds to support affordable housing. We've supported St. Matthew Claver on Michigan Avenue in Dunbar. And so we are tasked with reinvesting in those areas that I say need a little extra love.
Mike Kiniry
I did a show last week with folks from the Black History Society about the Juneteenth celebrations, and we talked a lot about Veronica Shoemaker. She was instrumental in getting the CRA off the ground, right?
Michele Hylton-Terry
Yes, she was. She had the vision. She brought that back to Fort Myers. She had gone to DC, I believe, and saw how the redevelopment agency was making a difference in other places and wanted it here for us in Fort Myers.
Mike Kiniry
You're also president of the Florida Redevelopment Association.
Michele Hylton-Terry
I am this year.
Mike Kiniry
And a future maker.
Michele Hylton-Terry
And a future maker, yes. You've done your homework.
Mike Kiniry
I have, and I always like to, I know Tesla Sage will hear me say that and think she'll be happy I said that.
Michele Hylton-Terry
Yes.
Mike Kiniry
So as I told you before we started that I grew up in Fort Myers and so I've driven past the McCollum Hall building like a million times. And I know that over the years there's been some stops and starts and efforts to get it refurbished and put back into use. Can we kind of just go through that a little bit? I don't want to, I know there's a lot of weeds we can get into, but You were saying that, so it stopped being a performance hall in the early 70s, but there were still businesses in it, at least until the early 90s.
Michele Hylton-Terry
Yes, when I came here in 1990, that venue was still open. I remember going into Styland's Men's Shop, and I also remember going into the pool hall. And so McCollum Hall was owned by the family. And in 2007, we started talking about purchasing it from them so that we can restore it and bring it back to the community. And we worked with the family, negotiated that. The CRA at the time really didn't have the resources to redevelop McCollum Hall ourselves. So we sought to find a developer who could do that. And we've done that three times. unsuccessfully. And all those developers had very good intentions and had great ideas for McCollum Hall. But the truth of the matter is it is a community-driven space that is not going to generate the kind of revenue that a developer needs to make to be successful. So I believe when the CRA took it back last year and said that we would become the developer was the best thing that could have ever happened to the facility.
Mike Kiniry
So that's the plan now. The CRA is is the developer.
Michele Hylton-Terry
We are the developer, yes.
Mike Kiniry
I know that, so through your work, the roof is now sound, the windows are now sound. Like I mentioned in the intro, it's had a facelift, so it looks pretty nice on the outside. The most recent, until this one, hope for a redevelopment included a lot of residential. That is not the case now, right?
Michele Hylton-Terry
That is not the case. So last year, when we took it back, we felt it really important to go out to the community and find out from them really what they wanted to see there. Because what was being proposed in the past was what a developer thought would make the best sense for them. And so the community said they wanted a restaurant. They wanted a record, excuse me, a performing arts space. Along with that, we are including a recording studio.
Mike Kiniry
I was going to say, there's a recording studio on that, on those schematics you sent out.
Michele Hylton-Terry
I don't know if the.
Mike Kiniry
Schematics are what they're called, but whatever.
Michele Hylton-Terry
Well, that's correct. And they wanted commercial. And so we will be redeveloping the historic portion of the building with a restaurant, the performing space, the recording studio, a community room that could be used for a variety of things like a green room and practice, multi-purpose space virtually. And then, and you mentioned the land we purchased on the far east side of the property. There we will be constructing a brand new two-story building that will house commercial retail on the bottom and offices on the 2nd floor.
Mike Kiniry
What kind of engagement did you get when you had, I know you had some meetings to try to get, you know, feedback from the community. were you, were those well intended? Was it well engaged?
Michele Hylton-Terry
It was very well engaged. People really are interested in this project and not just people in Dunbar. We saw responses from people all over the region, quite frankly. I believe 25% of the responses came from Dunbar and the rest of it came from outside of that immediate area.
Mike Kiniry
Does its historic designation in some ways determine what can be done with the original structure?
Michele Hylton-Terry
It doesn't really determine what can be done there. However, it does make it more expensive to do anything there. It is not a regular restoration. You can't just go to Home Depot and buy things off the shelf. When we did the stabilization back in 2016, all those windows and doors were handcrafted. Those are not standard doors and windows. And so any restoration that we're going to do to the rest of the original structure will have to be done to that same standard.
Mike Kiniry
Will the performance space have a balcony?
Michele Hylton-Terry
The performance space will have a balcony.
Mike Kiniry
It looked like it. So it's going to take up the height of two stories on that right side of the main building.
Michele Hylton-Terry
That's correct. That's correct.
Mike Kiniry
This is Gulf Coast Life. My guest today is Michelle Hilton Terry. She's Executive Director of the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency, or CRA. The CRA recently approved a conceptual design proposal for the restoration and adaptive reuse of McCollum Hall in downtown Fort Myers. The historic 1938 building has set empty for quite some time after once serving as a cultural and entertainment landmark in the Dunbar community. This new proposal would bring it back to life with a restaurant, performing space, business center, retail space, even calls for a recording studio, as Michelle was just saying. So what happens now? There's a thing that people can look at. You know, what is the process going forward? What are the things that you're sure of and what are the things that you hope for?
Michele Hylton-Terry
Okay, so right now the concept has been approved. And so the architect, Jeff Mudgett, will now start working on actual renderings of what the interior spaces will look like. We have to take that forward to the Historic Preservation Commission. We need their approval to do anything there as well because it's on the National Register and it's on our local historic designation. It does go to Tallahassee also for their approval. And so once all the approvals are in place, construction can begin. But of course, you know, all that costs money. So we will be seeking funding. We will be going after new market tax credits. The CRA is able to carry some debt. We will be partnering with the city of Fort Myers, and we will be accepting donations. In fact, the CRA is also looking to create a foundation so that we will be able to receive donation dollars to help.
Mike Kiniry
I was wondering if there would be some sort of a non-profit foundation involved so people can donate and that kind of thing. Is there an existing pot of money that is intended for this or is there not?
Michele Hylton-Terry
So there is some monies in the budget this year, but it's nothing compared to what it's going to take. We have about a half $1,000,000 this year. That's just to get us started. Like I said, we're going to have to take out some debt. We're going to have to get some monies from the city. We're going to have to get new market tax credits. And all these things are happening at the same time, because really the plan is to get this construction going by this time next year.
Mike Kiniry
As you know, construction materials cost more now than they did five years. years ago. So I think that's part of why the clock is ticking too.
Michele Hylton-Terry
Quickly, yes, And not only do they cost more, they always cost more when you're doing a historic restoration.
Mike Kiniry
I know that over the years, part of the problem has been, or maybe a thorn in the side of the project has been parking. Has the parking issue been figured out with this new plan?
Michele Hylton-Terry
Mentioned before and purchased that additional land.
Mike Kiniry
I was wondering if that was going to help make that all better.
Michele Hylton-Terry
That's going to help with parking a great deal. We also have water management that we have to deal with some detention. And so we will also be purchasing, it's out for advertisement now, the property at the corner of Cranford and MLK just across from McCollum Hall. And that may be used for detention. It may be used for parking. We're going to have to see how it goes. I think right now, the way Jeff has it designed, we're short 14 parking spaces according to the code.
Mike Kiniry
Gotcha. And it's right there, like, you know, practically catty corner from IMAG. And that whole, like you were just watching the city council meeting, the whole Midtown thing. I mean, This will really poke that redevelopment further down MLK, right?
Michele Hylton-Terry
Exactly. And in 2006, when the redevelopment plan was done, the community said they wanted this. And we believe that this project would be the catalyst for that growth. along MLK. And we've seen the growth starting to happen. It started from the I-75 area, and now we'll be able to go east with it, with McCollum Hall.
Mike Kiniry
And, you know, as somebody who grew up here, you know, MLK is a really good-looking Rd. compared to what it was 20 years ago. Is that all CRA-driven stuff?
Michele Hylton-Terry
That is correct. About 3 years ago, we improved the landscape. And I think it's due for a refresher this year as well. So yes, all those dollars that I talked about get reinvested in the community.
Mike Kiniry
What else is the CRA working on right now?
Michele Hylton-Terry
Well, I feel like I just.
Mike Kiniry
Got an e-mail right before I walked in here about two new grants, something grant matching grants. You might even know about it yet. Melinda sent out a new press release.
Michele Hylton-Terry
Oh, yes, they got approved today. Yes, because We do have a matching grant program and we provide funds to businesses that are in the redevelopment areas when they're doing exterior improvement that benefits the public. That's landscape, that's windows and doors, that's also storm rated materials to keep those properties protected when we have inclement weather. We have a residential property improvement matching grant as well for homes within our redevelopment areas. And so the CRA in many forms and fashions gets that money back in the community all to improve the quality of life for our citizens and of course increase the tax base.
Mike Kiniry
Did you guys have a hand in? I'm assuming you did. the relatively new public art piece there on the corner of MLK and where Veronica Shoemaker splits. Tell us about that. You're nodding your head.
Michele Hylton-Terry
Yes, we worked on that for four years. It takes a little longer when you're working with the government to get things done. And that's for a good reason. We have to be transparent and we want involvement from a lot of people, the community, the folks that are wanting to go for these, the artists for these jobs. And so we went through the public art committee and they did a number of meetings for about a year and a half. We heard public feedback. Then that went out to a call for artists. And the name of the artist escapes me, but she did a beautiful job. Cecilia Louisa from the Tampa area designed that sculpture in honor, not just of Veronica Shoemaker, but of all the women in this community that have really pushed the community forward.
Mike Kiniry
Dr. Anne Knight, yeah.
Michele Hylton-Terry
Yes, Melvin Morgan. Yes, we have great role models in the city of Fort Myers.
Mike Kiniry
On the other side, in the core of downtown, it's all very pretty now. There's the bricks and all that. Is that all CRA involved too?
Michele Hylton-Terry
That's all CRA as well. When the city did the underground utility replacement, the CRA was able to do the above-ground work. And so we invested about $10 million in the brick streets and the street furniture. furniture and the lighting that you see, the irrigation. Yes, the CRA works hand in hand with the city. As I mentioned before, we were created by the city for the city.
Mike Kiniry
You probably recognize the name Andrés Duany then.
Michele Hylton-Terry
Oh yes, the Duany plan.
Mike Kiniry
The first time we ever did this show live on location was from a restaurant in downtown Fort Myers, and he was one of our guests at the beginning when that plan was like this plan for McCollum Hall that we're talking about now?
Michele Hylton-Terry
Yes, and we have worked with that Duanee plan all these years. A lot of it has been accomplished already. As a redevelopment area, we have to update the plans every five years. We never lose the input that came from the original plans, but we do make sure that we are meeting the current needs of the community.
Mike Kiniry
So besides McCollum Hall, and we will wrap up with it here in a second, you know, it's obviously sort of, you know, the big mountain that you're hoping to climb. And then you've got grants, which are maybe on the other end. Are there any sort of projects or aspirations for CRA in the middle, redevelopments or things like that?
Michele Hylton-Terry
So the next big project that we're working on is the Innovation Walk downtown. And this...
Mike Kiniry
Tell me what that is.
Michele Hylton-Terry
Have you not heard about this?
Mike Kiniry
I have not heard about this.
Michele Hylton-Terry
Oh my goodness, I don't know how. So the Innovation Walk is a project that's designed to really showcase human genius. We know that Thomas Edison was here. I'm sorry, I'm...
Mike Kiniry
Henry Ford.
Michele Hylton-Terry
Henry Ford. And all these, the Calusa Indians, all these ways that we...
Mike Kiniry
Ella Piper.
Michele Hylton-Terry
Ella Piper. Oh my gosh, thank you so much. And so we partnered with the Edison Awards a number of years ago to really honor and showcase innovation, whether it be technology, whether it be how the Calusa found tools that made everyday living possible and easier, whether it be Edison and the light bulb. And so we have hired a firm called Perkins and Will, and they actually will be here in August to do an update and give the community status as to where the innovation walk is because we are now in the design phase.
Mike Kiniry
Explain like, I know it's just in the design phase, but I mean, it sounds like it's literally a walk. Like where will it be from to and will there be elements along it that draw attention to these people? I'm curious.
Michele Hylton-Terry
So Perkins and Will has been hired to really lay out the innovation walk to determine what the best streets that it should go along to determine the types of installations that would fit in these areas, that would be interesting. We want it to be something that is awe-inspiring and that will bring people back to Fort Myers when you have your family and friends come to visit. you have to take them to the innovation walk and they'll want to come back to Fort Myer because of it.
Mike Kiniry
Will it start like at the Edison home? That's what I'm envisioning is like maybe it starts there and it works its way all the way through town or something.
Michele Hylton-Terry
It's actually going to start in Centennial Park and work its way to the Edison home. And we hope to have installation at the Edison home as well. We'll also be engaging private property owners because there's right away there. There's property that the city does not that own that we don't have access to. So this is going to be a real community, all hands on deck project to create this wonderful showcase of innovation.
Mike Kiniry
I feel remiss in not having known anything about it, but now I know and our listeners will know as well.
Michele Hylton-Terry
And they can get more at theinnovationwalk.com. We have a website for that. as well as mccollumhall.com to be kept abreast of all the happenings as we move along.
Mike Kiniry
As somebody who's been involved with city work and the CRA work for as long as you have, when you drive through town, do you think you sort of look at things a little differently? Because you know, that's maybe going to be this or that used to be that, you know?
Michele Hylton-Terry
Oh yes, it is very exciting and inspiring, actually, if you You probably drive by the intersection of Fowler Street and Martin Luther King, and what was there was just a concrete sidewalk. I believe at one time there was a gas station there. We have been able to redevelop that site and created a beautiful gateway that is an entrance to the downtown redevelopment area. And so when I see things like that, I know that we're making a difference. When we look at that sculpture at the intersection of MLK and Veronica Shoemaker Boulevard, something that uplifts the community while it's beautifying also. And so, yes.
Mike Kiniry
Well, and I have been very happy with all of the murals that have been added to the landscape too, because... whether you realize it or not, it brightens a little bit of your day when you drive by, if you're stuck at a traffic light and you look over and you see something and you spend time looking at it. So not just public art, but just all these murals that have popped up that just weren't there 20 years ago.
Michele Hylton-Terry
Exactly. And we have worked with the Mural Society to get the walls at McCollum Hall done. This coming year, I hope to finish all the blank walls there. The CRA is not responsible for all the murals in the city, but we've had a fair hand in helping to beautify McCollum Hall with the murals.
Mike Kiniry
So last question with McCollum Hall, like what's the next thing that we may be going to hear? What's the next press release we're going to get if things progress as you're hoping?
Michele Hylton-Terry
The next press release would be to get the approval from the Historic Preservation Committee, local and state, so that we can move forward. And then at the same time, get the press release that the funding's been secured. Those are my 2 main objectives going forward.
Mike Kiniry
Is there any way right now for an individual to help out somehow?
Michele Hylton-Terry
Absolutely. I would wish that they would contact the CRA office. FortMyersCRA.com is our website and our phone number is 239-321-7100. And yes, we love to have our citizens. We have volunteers that sometimes work with us. And for sure, if this is a project that is near and dear to your heart and you want to be a part of that, please reach out.
Mike Kiniry
All right, Michelle Hilton Terry is executive director of the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency, or CRA. Thank you so much for your time, Michelle. It's been nice meeting you.
Michele Hylton-Terry
Same here, Mike. Thank you.
Transcript created with Copilot. Please forgive any spelling errors or mistranslations.