National Historic Preservation Month 2016

May is National Historic Preservation Month and the Brevard Heritage Council, Brevard County's oldest organization dedicated to historic preservation, celebrated it by hosting their annual awards evening on May 12th to recognize those individuals who have restored any type of historic structure in Brevard County. Many of these projects were not started and completed within the last year, but they are honored in the year they are "done." And I say "done" as anyone who has ever restored an old structure knows that it is pretty hard to ever been done working on them!  As you may or may not know, there are no grants or public monies available for those restoring a private home and due to very few local ordinances there are few restrictions on what can be done to historic structures in the area. As a result almost all historic preservation work is done by private individuals using their own funds and knowledge. The Heritage Council, which rents the historic City Point Church from the County, has for many years honored these brave individuals for their hard work and dedication in saving such wonderful examples of our local history. 

The board members of the Brevard Heritage Council nominate properties from all parts of the county which are then photographed, documented and then submitted for judging. And yes they are open to suggestions! Only the exteriors are judged and the Council awards either a Banner Award or a Heritage Award based on various criteria. In general the structures that receive a Banner Award have to be pretty close to perfect, and in near original condition. This typically means original siding, windows, roofing material, no additions etc. The Heritage Award recognizes a property that has been renovated and maintained to a high degree and is a credit to its community. 

Various experts have been asked to judge the entries over the years and this year I was asked to be the judge.  Below are photographs of the properties honored. 

HERITAGE AWARD 310 Orange St., Titusville, FL
Folk Victorian Style

BANNER AWARD 35 Barton Ave., Rockledge, FL
Queen Anne Style

BANNER AWARD 45 Barton Ave., Rockledge, FL
Folk Victorian Style

BANNER AWARD 3543 N. Indian River Drive, Cocoa, FL
Monterey Style

All of the property owners have done a wonderful job and are to be congratulated!!

Pumpkin Center - Neuharth Estate Burns

On Tuesday night Brevard County history suffered a great loss when the ocean front estate of the late Al Neuharth, the founder of Florida Today and USA Today newspaper burned. The home, known as Pumpkin Center, is considered to be a total loss and had been recently sold by the Neuharth family to Jeffery Wells for nearly $5 million dollars, the highest price ever paid for a home in Brevard County. The sprawling house had over 10,000 of living space with 11 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms. The home is commonly said to have been built in 1975, but a few old timers know that its core was a much earlier structure built as the ocean front get away of another early Brevard County tycoon, Eugene Wuesthoff. 

Eugene Wuesthoff
From the collections of the Brevard County Historical Commission

Mr. Wuesthoff was one of the early visitors who came to Brevard County to enjoy the weather and recreation opportunities. Mr. Wuesthoff had been the general manager of the Slitz Breweries in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and later one of two owners of the Union Refrigerated and Transit Company, from which business he retired in 1922. He spent the majority of his time in Rockledge, a well known winter resort at the time, where he immersed himself in local community activities. He contributed his financial support to many projects and groups, and left a generous legacy to found the hospital in Rockledge which still bears his name. He was also a major investor in local real estate, particularly during the land boom. In 1925 he purchased a custom built house on Valencia Road in Rockledge where he spent his winters until he passed away in 1940. This house, pictured below, featured the first swimming pool in the area and a cabana with separate changing rooms for men and women. The pool is still has been restored and is still in use today!

Wuesthoff House, 25 Valencia Road, Rockledge, FL

In 1927 it was Mr. Wuesthoff who began construction on what was to become Pumpkin Center. In December of that year the Cocoa Tribune reported that he had let contracts for the construction of a "lodge" on Cocoa Beach to cost approximately $8,000. The lodge, known as Pelican Dunes and described below, was of an usual design, giving the appearance of a log cabin, and set the tone for the rambling structure that it was to become. 

Wuesthoff's lodge is familiar to some of our early Space Race residents as "the house on the beach," where it was the site of many parties thrown by the renters living there.  A great description of this part of the home's history and a rare photograph of the house may been seen in Melba McCaslin's recently published book Young and Single on the Space Coast 1953 to 1969. 

In a strange coincidence the house immediately south of Pumpkin Center and known as "The Folly," was destroyed by fire as it was nearing completion in 1937. For my previous blog post on this interesting story click here. 

Not To Be Missed

Well it is finally here! After several years of research the book I have been working on with Roy Laughlin and Robert Kronowitt is now completed and in print! The full title is Not To Be Missed, Cocoa's Architectural Heritage and Its People 1880-1950. It is quite a tome at 398 pages, and will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about the historic structures in Cocoa. This book's premise is that history is all around us, influences our daily routines, and is a tangible, but often unrealized link to people long gone. As Roy states so well, "Houses, commercial, and public buildings are like a conch shell. They have survived the living animals that made them, and have the ability to persist indefinitely after their creators, like shells in coquina."

 

Front Cover

 

 

This book is the result of careful research that ranged from interviews with long time residents to an untold amount of consultation with original sources such as deed books and early newspapers. In many cases contemporary accounts of a structure's construction was found in the Cocoa Tribune so exact dates, builders and architects can now be assigned to previously anonymous buildings. These records also revealed the stories of our area's earliest residents and their level of involvement in creating the community we enjoy today. Every important section of Cocoa is included in this book with coverage on the business district, schools, the river front, the land boom neighborhoods north of town and the African American community.

 

In addition to all the information the book is illustrated with the wonderful sketches of artist Robert Kronowitt and many reproductions of original photos, advertisements and plat maps.

 

Back Cover

 

 

Not To Be Missed is available from Roy via email at notttobemissed.2001@gmail.com or for purchase at the Florida Historical Society or Travis Hardware in Cocoa Village. Other outlets for the book will likely be added over time.The price is $42.35 plus tax.