Doorway in 2011

McCollum Hall is a historic building block that was an entertainment venue in Fort Myers, Florida. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places[1] and is a site on Florida's Black Heritage Trail.[2] It included a gas station and was listed in the The Negro Motorist Green Book guide for African Americans. Murals are now next to it.[1] A rope line segregated the upstairs area where performances and dancing were located. It was "at the heart" of Fort Myers' Dunbar Community.[3] It is at 2701 Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. It is an Art Deco style building.[4]

Restoration project signage in 2011
Building in 2011

It was built in 1938 by Clifford “Buck” McCollum, Sr. and his wife Gertrude[5] and became a center of entertainment and commerce. It hosted performers including Louis Armstrong, B. B. King, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington[3] between the 1930s and 1960s. In 2022, a developer was contracted to renovate the building and to add apartments adjacent.[6]

It was used by the U.S.O. (United Service Organization) to host black servicemen from Page and Buckingham Army Air Fields. It was also a site for black professional baseball players visiting during spring training and hosted boxing matches.[5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Montgomery, Annette (February 9, 2023). "Neighbors reflect on past and future of McCollum Hall for Black History Month".
  2. ↑ "THE FLORIDA BLACK HERITAGE TRAIL". Tampa Bay Times.
  3. 1 2 "City of Fort Myers works to bring McCollum Hall back to life" – via www.youtube.com.
  4. ↑ Runnells, Charles. "McCollum Hall's new murals: Louis Armstrong, dancing and more revealed at Dunbar landmark". The News-Press.
  5. 1 2 "Florida Stories Walking Tours". floridastories.stqry.app.
  6. ↑ Montgomery, Annette (June 29, 2022). "New developer approved for restoration of McCollum Hall".
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