City of Mount Dora purchases downtown building for $1,975,000

A historic building in downtown Mount Dora that was originally a school and then the city’s library, will soon become an annex to Mount Dora City Hall.  Located just steps away from the City’s main administration building, the new acquisition will eventually be home to its Building Services and Planning & Zoning Departments, as well as its Community Redevelopment Agencies, and Code Compliance.

The two-story, brown building located at 308 E. Fifth Avenue, which most recently housed a law firm, also has 15 parking spaces which will serve as public parking on evenings and weekends.  

The city is purchasing the 3,732 square-foot building located within the Historic District for $1,975,000.  The purchase and renovation of the building will be funded by revenues from the City’s Building Division.

The history of the building dates back to March of 1912 when a group of local and winter residents organized the Mount Dora Educational Society, with the purpose of building a private school. Built in 1912, the building was named Educational Hall and accommodated the children of the City’s winter visitors who were tutored using the same books as their northern schools for consistency.  The large building also served as a meeting room for local clubs and the First Baptist Church. After the opening of a new public school on Clayton Street in 1922, Education Hall suffered a decline in enrollment.

In 1917, the city’s library moved into the building’s basement.  The expansion of the library included a full-time librarian with a salary of $1 a month.  

In 1929, the City purchased the building for use as a library. The library moved to a larger building in 1977, and the city sold the building to attorney Del Potter for $60,000 with ownership listed under 308 E. 5th Avenue, LLC. Potter, along with his partners, practiced law in the building for decades and recently listed the 112-year-old building for sale.

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