LIVING HISTORY
Kevin Boldenow
This colonial revival house originally served
as a vacation home for a Tennessee judge.
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Clifton Lodge / Hawken Home
In the early 1910s, contractor Sam Matthews built a wood
frame, bungalow-style home on the site of 41 West Seminole
St. for himself and his wife. Purchased later by other individuals,
it eventually became the Clifton Guest and Fishing
Lodge. Leonard and Arline Hawken bought the lodge in 1955
for a personal home and lived there until 1987. During the
1950s, they published The Flashes Shopping Guide from the
house. The home was sold in 1997 to Dianne Davant, who
had extensive improvements made, yet retained integrity of
the vintage home.
Judge Thomas Matthews House
This colonial revival
style house at 218 SW
Atlanta Ave. was built
in 1913 for Judge Thomas
Edwin Matthews, a
winter resident from
Tennessee. The frame
vernacular clapboard
house stands on land
originally owned by
Walter Kitching along
the St. Lucie River. It is
two stories, with a hipstyle
roof and a front
porch, built by contractor
Sam Matthews with
Dade County pine and cypress floors, walls and ceilings. It
remained the vacation home for Judge Matthews until 1945,
and has had many diverse residents over the years. Presentday
owners are Marcia and Louis Paul Benson, who lease out
the property.
Woodmen Hall
In 1914, Woodmen of the World fraternal society, Camp
#150, engaged contractor Sam Matthews to build a wooden
frame, two-story structure at 217 SW Akron Ave., totaling
3,600 square feet. The second floor was offered to civic or
community organizations for their meetings. The ground
level was first rented to Carlisle’s Feed Store; and in the
1920s, the Telephone Exchange, with operators and a full
switchboard, occupied the premises. The building was sold in
1950, but the telephone company, then called Southern Bell,
remained a tenant until 1959. Various organizations continued
to use the building over the years. In the mid-1990s, it
was scheduled for demolition when local preservationists
stepped in, secured funding for restoration to save this landmark
building. Now under the ownership of the Treasure
Coast Presbyterian Church, Woodmen Hall houses an
antique shop.
This report was compiled by Alice L. Luckhardt, a board member
and officer of the Stuart Heritage Museum.
Geiger / Morrison Home
In early 1914, contractor J.A.Y. Speirs built a bungalowstyle
house for the Geiger family (local teachers), producing
a 1½-story wooden frame home with a gabled roof, two
dormers and an end porch at 405 SW California Ave. The
Geigers remained there until 1942, when it was sold to Anita
and Murph Morrison. Four Morrison daughters grew up in
the house. It was sold in the 1980s and restored to its architectural
integrity. In 2004, the house was converted to a bed and
breakfast inn but once again is a private residence.
Feroe Building
Sam Matthews in 1913 constructed the two-story, concrete
and Dade County pine business building for Henry Feroe at
73 S.W. Flagler Ave. Originally, Stuart Drug Co. and a real
estate/insurance firm occupied the first floor, with the second
floor having leased office space. The first pay phone was
installed at the drug store on April 9, 1915. Between 1915
and 1926, the Stuart Post Office took over the space of the
real estate office, with the Dehon Insurance Co. coming in
afterward and remaining there until 1941. Stuart Rexall Drug
Store in 1947 took over the entire downstairs and remained
as such for decades. In 1980, the building was purchased
by a group of attorneys and now houses the Larry Stewart
Law Offices.
Kevin Boldenow
This home, built in the early 1910s, retains many of the original features.
ALICE L. LUCKHARDT PHOTOS
The Feroe Building, left, once housed the Stuart Drug Co. Woodmen Hall, right, was used as a feed store and later a telephone exchange.