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North Avenue Historic District

Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in FloridaLake Wales, FloridaNRHP infobox with nocatNational Register of Historic Places in Polk County, FloridaPolk County, Florida Registered Historic Place stubs
Use mdy dates from August 2023
Lake Wales FL North Ave HD01
Lake Wales FL North Ave HD01

The North Avenue Historic District is a U.S. historic district (designated as such on October 12, 2001) located in Lake Wales, Florida. The district is along the 100 Block of North Avenue. It contains 12 historic buildings.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article North Avenue Historic District (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

North Avenue Historic District
Dorsett Avenue,

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Wikipedia: North Avenue Historic DistrictContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 27.909722222222 ° E -81.591111111111 °
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Address

Dorsett Avenue 181
33853
Florida, United States
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Lake Wales FL North Ave HD01
Lake Wales FL North Ave HD01
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Nearby Places

Dixie Walesbilt Hotel
Dixie Walesbilt Hotel

The Dixie Walesbilt Hotel (also known as the Hotel Walesbilt) is a historic hotel in Lake Wales, Florida, United States located at 5 Park Avenue West and/or 115 North 1st Street. The Walesbilt Hotel was renamed the Hotel Grand by the New York owner Victor Khubani during the 1980s. The structure was built in 1926 after a stock-sale campaign in the local business community. It opened on January 14, 1927, two years before Edward Bok's famous Bok Tower was completed nearby. Original owners included then Governor Martin of Florida and silent screen star Thomas Meighan along with a consortium of other actors/actresses including Mary Pickford, Gloria Swanson and Clara Bow as well as famous Hollywood attorney Nathan Burkan and Hollywood Producer Victor Heerman. The interior of the building was even more ornate than the exterior. It featured shopping arcades, Italian-made ceilings and column capitals, a drinking fountain by Ernest A. Batchelder, Georgia Pink and Vermont Verde antique marble floors by Georgia Marble Company, a wrought iron balustrade, and a central mezzanine. Construction is of steel-reinforced poured concrete in post-and-beam method, without bearing walls. The building suffered only superficial damage during the hurricanes of 2004. On August 31, 1990, the hotel was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. In 1995 it was sold at auction and closed. The interior was partially dismantled for reconstruction, which was never completed. In February 2010, a redevelopment agreement was proposed between the City of Lake Wales and a private sector developer led by Ray Brown to return the hotel to its original finishes and repurpose the building as 19,500 square foot Boutique Hotel with commercial space.

Lake Wales City Hall
Lake Wales City Hall

The Lake Wales City Hall is a historic site in Lake Wales, Florida. It is located at 152 East Central Avenue. On August 31, 1990, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. In 2007, Polk Community College began a $3.6 million renovation of the historic structure, converting it into a modern academic center. When complete in 2009 the building will be outfitted with a 50-seat Student Success Center, one 30-seat computer classroom, four 30-seat general classrooms and a 30-seat classroom/community room, which could be used as a meeting room for local civic groups. The center will initially serve 125 students. At the groundbreaking on May 14, 2007, PCC President Eileen Holden announced that the new 16,000-square-foot (1,500 m2) facility will be called the JD Alexander Center after State Senator Alexander, who was instrumental in securing Public Education Capital Outlay (PECO) monies that will fund the renovation of the historic building. PCC plans to partner with the Lake Wales Charter High School to create a "Bridge to College" program and with the Lake Wales Literacy Coalition. The Mediterranean Revival style building opened in 1927. It served as the Lake Wales City Hall until 1998 when offices moved to a new administrative building. A new section was added to the building in 1970, which included a fire station. The old City Hall suffered severe water and wind damage from the 2004 hurricanes. The fire station addition received the most damage. The following year, State Senator J D Alexander was instrumental in securing funds that paved the way for the City to donate the historic building to PCC for use as an academic center. PCC officials have said the remodeling of the building's exterior (windows, roof and brick work) will honor the architectural history to the greatest extent possible. During the final days of 2007, demolition of the interior and exterior of the building was completed. PCC has rented a store across from the Alexander Center. During 2008 it will serve as both a construction office and a welcome center. It will be staffed during normal weekday hours, so residents can visit and receive information about PCC classes and registration.