Secretary Detzner Announces Recent Designation of Florida Properties on National Register of Historic Places

Tallahassee –

Secretary of State Ken Detzner announced today that several Florida properties have recently been listed on the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places.

“I am pleased to announce the recent listing of these six historic Florida resources on the National Register of Historic Places,” said Secretary Detzner. “Construction dates for these properties range from 1880 to 1965 and showcase the wide range of architectural and historical resources in our state.”

Florida properties recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places include:

The Meyer-Davis House and Hasty Cottage, in Ponce Inlet, Volusia County are two buildings on the same parcel of land associated with the early development of Ponce Inlet. The property was purchased at the end of the nineteenth century by Nathaniel Hasty, who built Hasty Cottage in 1880. In the early 1920s, Captain Redwood Wharton purchased the property and built a cracker-style fishing cottage, the Meyer-Davis House. In 1943, Hasty Cottage was used as the Ponce Park Post Office. Both buildings reflect the Florida Cracker architectural style and are examples of historical Florida lifestyles.

Hill Crest, in Fruitland Park, Lake County, is a large Frame Vernacular residence with Colonial Revival elements. Built in 1883 by one of the city’s founders, W.A. Rooks, the Hill Crest residence is one of few homes remaining in the community that reflect the success of early residents. Alterations made in 1901 by subsequent owner Charles Fox introduced Craftsman influences to the house. The house remains one of the best examples of early architecture in Fruitland Park.

The Cabbage Key Historic District is located on Cabbage Key, a 112-acre island in Pine Island Sound, Lee County.  With development beginning in 1937, this historic district contains six contributing resources: the historic Alan and Gratia Rinehart House, three cottages, and two other structures—a boat house and a water tower.  The historic Alan and Gratia Rinehart House, once known as the Inn and Studio at Cabbage Key, is known today as the Cabbage Key Inn and Restaurant. The district first served as the research field station for marine biologist Dr. Charles M. Breder, who operated the Palmetto Key Field Station (1938-1942) at Cabbage Key to research tarpon. His research was financed by the island’s owners, Alan Rinehart and Gratia Houghton Rinehart. Rinehart’s mother and author, Mary Roberts Rinehart, was known at the time as “the American Agatha Christie.” After the family sold the property, the island served as the inn and studio for Chicago artist Elwin Martin Stults Jr. and his wife, Janet Stults.

The Weil-Cassisi House, located in Gainesville, Alachua County, was built in 1964 and designed by University of Florida professor of architecture Harry Merritt. This Mid-century Modern two-story house, constructed of Ocala block and redwood, has large areas of glass that offer unobstructed views of the enclosed front courtyard and screened terrace in the rear. The home exemplifies modern architecture trends with clean and unadorned lines, the integration of the structure with its site, and visual continuity between indoors and outdoors.

The Dan Branch House, located in the Maloré Gardens subdivision south of Gainesville, in Alachua County, was designed by University of Florida professor of architecture Dan Branch in 1965 as his family home. This Mid-century Modern house reflects various schools of Modern architecture and is integrated with its Florida environment. Architect Dan Branch was influenced as a student by the Sarasota School of Architecture proponent Paul Rudolph and later worked with Sarasota movement architect Gene Leedy.

The Monument of States, located in Kissimmee, Osceola County, is positioned along the south side of the intersection of East Monument Avenue and Lakeview Drive. Composed of over 100 individual contributions of rocks and minerals, the monument stands at a height of fifty feet. The monument was designed by Dr. Charles Bressler-Pettis, president and active member of the Kissimmee All-States Tourist club, to rally Americans after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  At Pettis’s request, each state, along with numerous counties, foreign countries, and private individuals, donated rocks for placement on the monument. It was selected by the national “Save a Landmark” program to undergo cleaning, repair and repainting on November 7, 2001 through a partnership between the American Automobile Association and the Hampton Inn.

For more information about the National Register of Historic Places program administered by the National Parks Service, visit nps.gov/nr.

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About the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is a list maintained by the National Park Service which includes historical or archaeological properties (buildings, structures, sites, objects, and districts) that are considered worthy of preservation because of their local, statewide and/or national significance. Nominations for properties in Florida are submitted to the National Park Service through the Division of Historical Resources, Florida Department of State. Florida has over 1,700 listings on the National Register, including 288 historical districts and 172 archaeological sites. To learn more, visit dos.myflorida.com/historical/preservation/national-register/.

About the Bureau of Historic Preservation

The Bureau of Historic Preservation conducts historic preservation and folklife programs aimed at identifying, evaluating, preserving and interpreting the historic and cultural resources of the state. The Bureau manages a grants-in-aid program to help preserve and maintain Florida’s historic buildings and archaeological sites, and coordinates the State Historic Markers program and the Florida Main Street Program.  Under federal and state laws, the Bureau oversees the National Register of Historic Places program for Florida, maintains an inventory of the state's historical resources in the Florida Master Site File, assists applicants in federal tax benefit and local government ad valorem tax relief programs for historic buildings, and reviews the impact that development projects may have on significant historic resources. The Florida Folklife program identifies and promotes the state's traditional cultures, and coordinates folklife apprenticeship and award programs. For more information, visit dos.myflorida.com/historical/preservation/.