PHOTO GALLERY: See more images from Punta Gorda's Historic District
This is the Sandlin House, one of Punta Gorda's most beloved houses, and also one of its oldest, dating to the 1890s. It stands on West Retta Esplanade at Harvey Street, overlooking Charlotte Harbor. A recent addition is designed in the same architectural language. According to city historic records: "This home was originally the home of James L. (Mary Lula) Sandlin, a member of the first City Council and later mayor of the young city. Their son Felix was the first child born in Punta Gorda. Sandlin came to Punta Gorda on the first train in July 1886 to engage in the real estate, mercantile, citrus, and coastal shipping business. The “widow’s walk” enabled Sandlin to check ships at the nearby dock. He died in 1903. Daughter Mary Leah burned to death on the front porch in 1909 when a gasoline-fueled clothes iron malfunctioned." Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 4-28-2013.
PUNTA GORDA — History is never more than a few steps away in this city’s National Register Historic District.
Between Marion and Virginia avenues west of downtown, a 1950s house would be considered “newer.” Many date to 1930 or before, and some to the 1890s and 1900s. The historic district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
Several of the homes there are for sale, and almost all of them have been restored or updated. The neighborhood also shows pride of ownership: The maintenance of properties is consistently good throughout the district.
Modest cottages stand alongside the stately homes of West Retta Esplanade, where Gilchrist Park separates the most expensive houses in town from Charlotte Harbor.
Nearby is Punta Gorda’s attractive downtown, which has been rebuilt since Hurricane Charley on Aug. 13, 2004, under the leadership of a community organization called Team Punta Gorda.
“In a word, spectacular,” said top-selling Realtor Luke Andreae, of RE/MAX Harbor Realty, in describing the community’s recovery from the hurricane.
Buildings were restored, or, in the case of Herald Court Centre or the mixed-use Sunloft Center, built to the latest storm codes with appealing and colorful architecture. New amenities, all close to downtown, include Laishley Park Municipal Marina. Harborwalk and Linear Park are part of the Punta Gorda Pathways system for bicyclists and pedestrians.
The historic district’s brick streets and sidewalks invite residents to stroll downtown or west to Fishermen’s Village for dining, shopping or boating.
The district is so pedestrian-friendly that trick-or-treating on Halloween has become a major event. Thousands of trick-or-treaters of all ages converge on the neighborhood, and many homeowners go all-out to entertain them. One had a “Star Wars” multimedia exhibit last year.
West Retta Esplanade and Gilchrist Park in Punta Gorda's historic district. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 7-5-2011.
Residents also enjoy being able to walk along Charlotte Harbor in Gilchrist Park (named for an early resident who became governor), which runs along West Retta Esplanade. The waterfront belongs to the people in Punta Gorda; the city is completing its riverside walking path that will run uninterrupted from Fishermen’s Village on the west to Charlotte Regional Medical Center on the east — about two miles. Along the way is Laishley Park, where most of “The Festival City’s” public events are held, including today’s Charlotte HarborFest.
A historic home on West Olympia Avenue in Punta Gorda's historic district. It was restored by its owner, John Chalifoux, a contractor who is building a new house nearby. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 5-5-2011.
“People love to be able to walk to the restaurants and Fishermen’s Village instead of having to get in the car and drive,” Andreae said. “It is like being in a big city. Obviously, Punta Gorda is not a big city, but it is like being in a big city where you can walk to eight or 10 different restaurants, walk to Gilchrist Park, with the Thursday night ‘Guitar Army,’ and the festivals almost every Saturday.
“And it has a nice feel; there is not a bad area down there.”
Home prices in the historic district are relatively modest. A 1920s cottage on a double lot on West Olympia Avenue is priced at $169,000. Along West Retta Esplanade, a recently restored and updated 1880s house with pool, extra lot and harbor views is listed at $635,000.
The historic district lost a number of homes during Charley, which helps explain the empty lots. But a bit of rebuilding is happening now — a new home is nearing completion on Harvey Street, and one is just underway on the corner of Durrance and West Olympia.
Not as old as its architecture: This house at 188 Durrance St. in Punta Gorda's historic district was built in 2011. It is listed at $ 450,000 through Keller Williams Peace River Partners Realty. Three blocks from downtown and one from Charlotte Harbor, it has three bedrooms and three baths in 1,657 square feet. It also has many luxury appointments. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 4-28-2013.
The new houses must be elevated, as most of the district, and the city, is in the FEMA “A” flood zone, and they are required to be architecturally compatible with the historic housing stock. And now FEMA is considering raising the base flood elevation, said Andreae, which could lead to much higher premiums on new flood-insurance policies.
“We are all worried about that countywide, not just in the historic area,” Andreae said. “But that district is very low, and if they raise the base-flood elevation level, it makes it even tougher there.
“Is it a concern? Yes. But if someone wants to be there, they are going to overcome that. Every market has hurdles.”
Southwest of the historic district, on Shreve Street, the Punta Gorda History Park is the home of several antique houses that were moved there, including the “Cigar Cottage” and the tiny Trabue Land Sales office, now a gift shop.
A sunset over Charlotte Harbor as seen from Gilchrist Park in Punta Gorda's historic district. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 8-5-2011.
Punta Gorda dates to the early 1880s, when Isaac Trabue, a chess-playing Kentucky colonel, bought 30 acres on the south side of the Peace River. He platted the town and convinced Henry Plant to bring rail service to the Town of Trabue in 1886. The next year, 34 men voted to incorporate the town and name it Punta Gorda — “fat point.” Trabue was not pleased.
In the 1890s, Punta Gorda became an important port for the shipping of cattle to Cuba. Fine homes along West Retta Esplanade were built by merchants and sea captains. One of them still has a “widow’s walk” from which its owner could monitor the arrival of ships.
