NOTE: This event has been postponed.
Dean Park, one of the oldest subdivisions in Fort Myers, will celebrate its 100th birthday on March 28 with a historic house tour of ten bungalows and other historic homes. They will be open to the public from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and refreshments and a Dixieland band will add to the festivities.
Dean Park, just east of downtown Fort Myers, was designated as a historic district in 1997 and was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. The subdivision’s official birthday is May 1, 1920, the date on which John Morgan Dean, a wealthy developer from Rhode Island, recorded his map entitled “Dean’s Subdivision” with the Lee County Clerk of the Courts.
The “Dean’s Subdivision” map showed 91 lots, including nine riverfront lots on First Street (now Palm Beach Avenue) that Dean sold for as much $40,000 at the height of the Florida real estate boom. Other major streets in the subdivision were named “Rhode Island Avenue” after his home state and “Providence Avenue” after his hometown.
The oldest house in the subdivision is the two-story Craftsman style home built in 1916 at 2674 Providence.
Each home on tour has its own story, which will be told in the tour booklet.
Today, Dean Park Historic District includes 82 homes and is located off Second Street, just a few blocks east of downtown Fort Myers. A history of all the homes in Dean Park can be found on its website. Click on the “Interactive Map” to see a photo of each home and its history.
The 100th Anniversary Dean Park House Tour includes live music and refreshments under the banyan tree at 2721 Rhode Island Ave., refreshments at 2740 Providence St., and food trucks and rest area adjacent to 2760 Rhode Island Ave.. The rain date is Sunday, March 29, also from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tickets are $20 per person and can be purchased in advance online at www.deanpark.org. Tickets will also be available on the day of the tour for $25 at the information/registration on “The Triangle,” a small park located at the intersection of Providence Street and Rhode Island Avenue in Dean Park.
