By Susan Myers
Mount Dora Buzz Historical Columnist

Born in Pennsylvania, Warren Butts arrived in Mount Dora in 1896.  He first established a furniture business, which later changed to a bricks, cement, and tile business.  To showcase his business, Butts built an impressive brick house at 331 Donnelly Street in 1917.  The two-story home featured large open front porches on the ground level and second floor. Along with the fancy brickwork, he added carved decorative columns, gingerbread trim  and a lozenge window.  

Today, Butts’ historic home is a commercial building and home to an impressive Christmas store, St. Nick’s Holiday Shoppe.
Butts was a pioneer who contributed to Mount Dora in its early days, including placing the piers, at no charge, on the Town Hall built around 1904.  He was also one of the first aldermen elected after Mount Dora was incorporated in 1910 and served as the city’s first tax collector in 1911.

Butts also purchased the first automobile in town, a Lenovee. When he purchased the car, he was shown how to start the one-cylinder motor and steer the car.  However, when he arrived home, he was unable to stop the vehicle and drove it through the back wall of the barn. Later, Orrin Sadler, a young boy, learned to drive the car and drove Butts all around town.
Over a hundred years after its construction, The Butts House remains, but has been substantially modified. Additional square footage was added by enclosing the porches and building an addition on the south side of the house. However, a stroll inside the current retail store reveals the original exterior is still in excellent shape.

For many years The Butts House remained a private residence and ads in the Mount Dora Topic have it listed as a rental unit in the 1930s. Eventually, it became a commercial property with various small business tenants over the years. 

In the 1970s, The Three Elves gift shop on Sixth Avenue relocated to the Butts House. In the 1980s, one of downtown Mount Dora’s popular and fancy luncheon spots, The Gables Tea Room & Gift Shop, operated in the building.  The eatery eventually relocated to Alexander Street.  A string of other commercial tenants later occupied the historic home, including Caroline’s Antique Shop in 1996, then Laney’s Antique Shop, and later Sweet Romance which featured lingerie and linens.

In the early 2000s, Natalie Lovejoy purchased the building and opened The Painter’s Daughter, an eclectic boutique and gallery.  Lovejoy did extensive renovations to the interior and transformed the exterior color palette that remains today.   After the Painter’s Daughter closed and the building sold again, it was briefly leased to A. Adams Antiques and Fine Art in 2016.  The following year, Naples Soap Company opened in the space.  In 2020, St. Nick’s Holiday Shoppe opened and remains today.  Naples Soap reopened months later further north on Donnelly Street.

In addition to his brick house, Butts also built a unique house next door called the “Tower” or “Windmill” house.  This three-story house had a windmill-powered water tank above the third floor, which provided running water from a well beneath the residence. The house was later demolished and today a private home occupies that lot.

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 The Risley concrete factory was located behind the family’s unique flat panel block home at 742 North Tremain Street. Carl and his team of workers fashioned both rusticated and flat panel building blocks, cemetery copings, gate posts, street markers, birdbaths, planters, roof tile, fireplace blocks, survey markers, patio stepping stones, septic tank covers, and ornamental lawn benches. These heavy concrete items were transported by wagon and pulled by their hardworking mule, Maggie, in the early years. 
In the 1970s,  Girl Scout troops cleaned and repainted the street markers as a community service project. Some street markers have been lost to time and damage, the remaining ones in the city need protection as historical elements. 
Risley’s concrete works are visible as you stroll or drive through town and are a long-lasting testament to his craft and profession. Along with other early settlers who’ve left their mark, Carl S. Risley also contributed significantly to the development of Mount Dora. 

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By Susan Myers
Mount Dora Buzz Historical Columnist 

Across the street from Donnelly Park on Fifth Avenue in downtown Mount Dora sits a nearly century-old brick building.  The unassuming commercial building, originally known as the Ingram Building, doesn’t appear in most of the City’s historic photos.   Today many people are likely to drive by without casting it a glance, but it’s one of the most minimally altered buildings in the historic district and provides a unique glimpse back at Mount Dora’s architecture in the early 20th Century.

William Ingram, an attorney and investor from Chester, West Virginia, commissioned the building in 1923. He and his wife Besse spent the winters in Mount Dora at their home located at 140 E. Seventh Avenue. The building consisted of three stores on the ground floor and seven apartments on the second floor.  Many individuals and businesses have rented space in this building over the last 98 years.

During the 1920s Land Boom, the Sylvan Shores Development Company was one of the first tenants in this building and L.R. Heim was promoting his new development west of Lake Gertrude at the time. In 1928, the Chamber of Commerce opened an office in the Ingram Building for a few years. They later relocated it down the street to the Simpson Building because people complained about walking up the hill to the office. Mrs. M.A. Duval and her son rented a space to open The Blue Heron Delicatessen and Sandwich Shop. A “cold plate lunch” was served for the price of $.25 during the Roaring ’20s.

RELATED:  Mount Dora's history timeline

The City of Mount Dora did not escape the tragic effects of the 1930s Great Depression. Many businesses failed, yet some individuals took a risk and forged ahead with a new business venture.  Some were successful, while others were short-lived. In 1931, William Davenport and his son Hugh were two of the risk-takers. They operated a successful shop in Clermont and felt that Mount Dora was an excellent place to establish another Davenport’s Furniture Exchange. During the depression, the local Girl Scout troop used one of the empty stores to hold a country fair. They used the proceeds to help pay the registration fees for new scouts during this tough economic time.

As the economy slowly progressed, two new businesses opened in 1938. Snowbird resident Professor Edgar Ashley established Ashley Art Galleries to display his art during the peak tourist months during the winter. In addition, The Blue Heron Tea Room, owned by Captain and Mrs. B.C. Jones replaced the Blue Heron Delicatessen, but diners could still enjoy the view of Donnelly Park.   At some point, the building was appropriately renamed the Parkview Building.   An article in the Mount Dora Topic dated August 4, 1938, mentioned, “It is places like this that advertise our community in far off cities when our winter visitors return to their homes and recount to their friends their pleasant experiences in the southland.”

Following the recession of the 1930s, Ingram sold the building in 1940 to Mary Learned of Braintree, Massachusetts, and W.M. Kennedy of Sylvan Shores. New Mount Dora resident and plumber, A.D. Johnson, joined the two other tenants in establishing his place of business there in 1945.

In the 1950s, the Blue Heron Tea Room relocated and the Peppermint Stick Restaurant assumed its spot. It was owned and operated by Bob and Eleanor Alderman. One of the most popular businesses in the Parkview Building was Romer’s Bakery. Two generations of the Eugene Romer family catered to the sweet tooth of Mount Dora residents from 1957 – 1985. Many residents still talk about their favorite item from Romer’s Bakery which ranged from breads, cakes, cookies, pastries, holiday treats, and glazed donuts.

Soon the tumultuous 1960s were upon us. With an upcoming election looming, the Democratic Party rented a storefront and set up campaign headquarters in 1964, headed by Frances Bland and local attorney Roy Christopher. Their effort to elect Lyndon B. Johnson as our 36th President seemed to have paid off.

In the mid-1970s, the Peppermint Stick Restaurant, now owned by Dave & Peggy Curtis, Village Green Antiques, and Romer’s Bakery steadily occupied the three storefronts. After 1985, Sally Dress Shop briefly rented a space.

In 1996, the Mount Dora Center for the Arts (MDCA) purchased the Parkview Building where they operated their gallery in the eastern storefront, and provided art classes upstairs. MDCA also leased two downstairs spaces -- one to Scoops on 5th, an old-fashioned ice cream and sweets shop, and the other space to Artisans on 5th, an artists’ co-op.  In 2021 the building was purchased by G3 Development.

Downtown Mount Dora’s historic Parkview Building, located at 138 E 5th Avenue, will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2023.  

By Susan Myers, Mount Dora Buzz Historical Columnist and Mount Dora Historical Society Board member

Sources:                                                                                              Mount Dora Topic newspaper issues: January 14, 1926; June 20, 1929; July 4, 1929; November 14, 1929; May 7, 1931; December 2, 1937; August 4, 1938; September 7, 1939; July 18, 1940; August 22, 1940; September 12, 1940; December 2, 1940; April 5, 1945; February 6, 1947; April 4, 1957; April 25, 1957; August 1, 1957; October 18, 1964; November 19, 1964; May 23, 1974; December 26, 1974.   Photos: Mount Dora Archives    
 
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Although the deteriorated homes slated for destruction were mere shells of their past glory, Homich made a last ditch effort to rescue a part of the quaint town’s history.   

The First Presbyterian Church agreed to sell both the blue Hubbell House, built in 1915, and the yellow Birkbeck Rental House, built in 1918,  for one dollar each, provided Homich agree to pay the $25,000 each to relocate them to the rear of his property.  ​

The family had just completed that process when the 2008 recession hit and money was temporarily unavailable to renovate the homes. In 2010, the preservation efforts continued, but it wasn’t without challenges.  
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According to Homich, the greatest challenges were the efforts by the City’s planner and code enforcement department to derail the project.    Rather than encourage the family in their sizable historic preservation project, city officials made every step a complete and needlessly costly nightmare, according to Homich.

​After much persistence, legal wrangling and financial sacrifice, the family completely restored the “Blue” and “Yellow” homes and sold them as  private residences. 

Disaster struck again in March 1993 when tornadoes tore through Mount Dora and inflicted $160,000 damage to the yacht club.  The repaired and remodeled clubhouse reopened in September of the same year. 

Today, Mount Dora Yacht Club has an active and diverse membership of 110.  The clubhouse still boasts a gorgeous Lake Dora view in its expansive dining room, a cozy bar, and ample dock space.

The enduring history of Mount Dora Yacht Club ensures generational members like Edee Waite Robinson and Charlie Kennedy, both of whom had relatives that were commodores and went on to become commodores themselves.  ​

 ​It began with an attraction.  In 1881, the operator of a local boarding house made a lasting impression on one of her tenants.

Annie McDonald Stone, a divorced single-mother, married her boarder John Phillip Donnelly that year.  Annie also happened to be the daughter of Donnelly's boss.

In 1893,  Donnelly had achieved success in the citrus and real estate industries and built the most recognized home in Mount Dora.  The yellow and white Victorian home with stained glass windows, dubbed "The Gingerbread House",  sits on a homesite that was reportedly selected for its scenic view of Lake Dora and its location in the growing town.  The large homestead was originally almost a square block in size and included a barn and tenant house.  In 1975, the home was added to the National Registry of Historic Places.

Annie passed away in 1908.  Donnelly, a Pittsburgh native, became Mount Dora's first mayor two years later.   In 1924, he sold the the corner site of his property for a park to be named in his wife's honor.  The price tag for what is now the site of Donnelly Park was $45,000.    

Donnelly died in 1930 and the landmark home was later purchased by another prominent resident, D.F. Gorham.  After Gorham's death during the Depression, the impressive home was purchased by the Masons and still serves as Masonic Lodge No. 238.

Over the years, many modifications were made to the home, including moving the staircase, adding a large kitchen and converting the upstairs bedrooms into one large meeting room and a small storage space. Today, the Masons  rent the downstairs of the home for small events, wedding showers, meetings and luncheons.   

In an effort to meet the rising cost of maintaining the landmark, Friends of The Donnelly House, a non-profit group, was formed. Their goal is to raise money for the deferred and continual maintenance of the historic home.  Donations can be made by contacting [email protected] .  

For more photos of interior of  Donnelly House, click here.   Follow Mount Dora Buzz on Instagram.  For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, visit the area's website and download the area's free mobile app.  ​

Who could miss it?--the aged and weathered neon Simpson Hotel sign hanging above what is now Le Petit Sweet on Fifth Avenue.

What is the story behind this iconic piece of Mount Dora history?

When asked, Robert (Bob) Simpson grins, "Did you know that sign was exempted from the city's ban on neon signs in downtown?"

Simpson, a Mount Dora native and resident knows the hotel's history well. "My grandfather, James Warren Simpson, built it back in the 1920s. It was the first fireproof hotel constructed in Central Florida. Up until that time, all the Mount Dora hotels were wooden structures like the Lakeside Inn and the Villa Dora Hotel.

"I can't recall her name, but a woman from up North approached my grandfather about building a fireproof hotel. She wanted a safe place for her friends and family to stay with no concern of a fire breaking out. She gave him $10,000 for the project and said that he could pay her back when the hotel was operating."

To find an architect who was qualified to take on this project, Mr. Simpson had to travel all the way to Jacksonville, Florida, which in the 1920s was a long trip. He employed the services of Murry S. King, architect. Mr. King also was the architect for the First National Bank and Trust building which originally was located on the corner of Donnelly and Fifth. Today it  houses a real estate office.

RELATED:  Mount Dora history timeline

As part of the fireproofing, concrete, steel, and red brick were used In the building's construction. All the electrical wiring was encased in water pipes, sans water,  with a protective covering of rubber and silk. Originally, the hotel was suppose to be a five-story structure, but Mr. Simpson changed his mind and went with a three story building. In 1925, the 22-room Simpson Hotel was completed and opened for seasonal business--October through April.

"Many of the guests came from the North, but the registries from the past showed that a number also came from Cuba, said Simpson. "At that time, it was pretty easy to get to Mount Dora from Cuba. There was a train that traveled round trip from Key West to Sanford, and then there was a ferry that went from Key West to Cuba and back."

In its history, the Simpson Hotel has played a variety of roles. Simpson explained, "During World War II, there was a civil defense platform and radio transmitter erected on the roof of the hotel for plane spotting and surveillance over the local lakes, and when the Cuban Missile Crisis was going on, the basement of the hotel was officially designated as a bomb shelter."

The hotel closed in 1983 because of changes in building codes. It was now required that three story residential buildings were to have fire sprinklers installed. In order to make this happen, water pipes needed to run all the way from the hotel to Third Avenue. It was also required that an elevator was to be added, as well as air conditioning, which was to replace the attic fan, transom and double hung windows cooling system. The Simpsons decided to shutter the hotel because of the prohibitive costs of the upgrades.

​Today, Le Petit Sweet occupies the former lobby of the Simpson Hotel. Around the corner from the old hotel at 441 North Donnelly Street, Simpson is still in the room letting business. He operates Simpson Bed & Breakfast. Prior to becoming a B & B,  the building served as an annex to the Simpson Hotel, first as a rooming house and later as efficiency apartments

It is interesting to note that during the interview with Simpson, he commented that during World War II, the Leesburg Airport was used as a military airport, and there was a German prisoner of war camp located near the airport. The locals referred to the camp as "Tomato Hill." The German POWs were used to build U.S. Highway 441, but that is another story for another day.

By Jane Trimble
Senior Writer, Mount Dora Buzz

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When the original one-room school house for Mount Dora’s African-American children burned down in 1922,  the new school opened in 1926 and served students up to 8th grade at the Highland Street location with seed money from the Rosenwald Foundation and matching funds came from Reverend Duncan Milner, a winter resident of Mount Dora concerned with racial injustice.

Booker T. Washington of the Tuskegee Institute and Julius Rosenwald, philanthropist and president of Sears Roebuck, built state-of-the art Rosenwald schools for African- American children across the South. The effort has been called the most important initiative to advance black education in the early 20th century.

The Rosenwald school was completed in 1926 and provided an education for African-American children until 1955 when a new Milner-Rosenwald school was built at 1250 Grant Avenue.

The new Milner-Rosenwald school was built at 1250 Grant Avenue to accommodate lower elementary school grades.   The original school building on Highland Street catered to middle school grades.  Once the new school campus was expanded in 1962,  students from all grades were taught at the new larger campus.   In 1972, the school was renamed Mount Dora Middle School after the end of racial segregation in Florida schools.  

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It began as many great things do, with a small group of devotees.   A woman who apparently wouldn’t take no for an answer, founding president Celia Clafin, detailed the history making Mount Dora's IceHouse Theatre a reality. 

In 1948, land located where Mount Dora Boating Center sits today,  became destined for the city's community theater.  The IceHouse Players Theatre was obligated for $100 monthly rent for an old ice plant building which sat vacant since the advent of refrigeration.  The re-purposed ice house was so close to the railroad tracks that performers had to pause until the train passed.  Read more