The spotlight was on Moore and Spence Architects when the firm got involved in renovating the historic complex known as the Arcade theatre complex or the Bradford Block. At the time, over 20 years ago, this famous downtown Fort Myers landmark housed the Florida Repertory Theatre and other retail and commercial entities.
The complex had already gone through many iterations since Harvie Heitman first constructed the buildings at the turn of the last century. Throughout its long life, it has seen attempts at modernization, conflicting style choices and the destruction of authentic detailing from the building’s heyday.
When Moore and Spence began its decades-long connection to the building’s reformation back in 1998, little did the company know what would be unearthed. During excavation, discoveries revealed a history lesson worthy of Our Town, one of the plays Florida Repertory Theatre performed in its inaugural season that year.
David Moore, chief architect on the project, remembers the challenges of renovating the iconic complex. “We mostly worked on Heitman Building on the east end of the Bradford Block. It had been a Sears at one time,” he recalls. “It was obvious they wanted to cover up old elements to modernize the structure.”
Excavation showed numerous windows had been closed off, skylights had been covered completely, entire sections had been reconfigured and in the 1970s, metal panels had been erected, hiding intricate details.
“These large metal wall panels were installed over the existing walls, I guess in an attempt to modernize,” Moore says. “When we saw what was underneath, we wanted to return the building to its original elements. There have been many attempts to make it contemporary.”
The structure initially was constructed as multiple buildings, and saw numerous additions and renovations during its roughly 125-year history. It takes up an entire city block bordering First Street to the south, Bay Street to the north, Franklin Street to the east and Hendry Street to the west, covering roughly 1.6 acres with structural dimensions of approximately 11,409 square feet.
Moore’s 2002 drafts and drawings were submitted to the state historical restoration award and won. They were applauded for creating elements to convey features of the original building.
“We only had black-and-white photos to go by; we planned our drawings on what we could comprehend from old pictures,” Moore explains. But photos can only reveal so much. Once walls were removed, the team was surprised to find intricately styled cast metal columns.
“We had believed this had to be wood detailing. We based our designs on that,” Moore says. Recognizing the craftsmanship of these metal structures, he soon learned the antiquated equipment required to craft such pieces was obsolete. A metal sculptor was brought in to devise a casting process that would enable a prototype to be formed. From this, his artisans could fashion facade pieces made of steel to match the originals.
Excavations continued through the years. In one stage of Moore’s process, a demolition revealed original bricks had been chiseled away or pounded out of supporting walls. “We brought a European stone mason who sourced period brick to match the original features and walls. There was scaffolding around the entire building,” he says. The mason worked brick by brick to restore all the damage and the original cornice. “He used old, reclaimed brick of a similar period.”
Through all these iterations, Florida Repertory Theatre continued to thrive. Arts were flourishing in downtown, and the company required an orchestra pit to accommodate its musicians.
“When the theater realized it needed to add an orchestra pit, we started that excavation. We were surprised when we found old seawalls and stairways underneath that had originally led down to the water. It was another thing we had to work around.”
Eventually, Florida Repertory Theatre purchased the complex in June 2019. Now owners of the space they have called home for so long, the company performs in a structure that shines in all its historical beauty, sitting center stage in the downtown arts district.
One hundred and twenty years ago, Harvie Heitman began a legacy with the Heitman Building, the Bradford Hotel and all the businesses that have called this complex home. This grand structure, now returned to its original glory, honors the history of Fort Myers, our town. And the play of Southwest Florida life continues.