Gem of the city: The original Cape Coral Yacht Club soon gone, but what of its legacy?

The original Cape Coral Yacht Club ballroom will soon join the ranks of former icons of the city's history – the Cape Coral Gardens, the original Gulf American Corporation, and the Waltzing Waters – as the area forges a new future.

"You ain't seen nothing yet," said Leonard Rosen, Cape Coral founder and then president of the Gulf American Land Corporation during the opening ceremony of the Yacht Club in 1962.

The Yacht Club and its developments signaled the true start of the city as we know it today, with its demise creating a hard-fought chasm within the community.

Janel Trull, the current executive director of Cape Coral Museum of History, said it's unfortunate the city has seen fit to tear down the historic building and believes it could have been saved.

"It is discouraging to know that the City Council thought it best to remove one of the last locations in town that was built by the Rosen Brothers, that was built specifically for the community, and are replacing it with something that's less of what the city is and more of a resort-style facility," Trull said.

Trull said she'll miss taking her kids to swim at the pool.

Why a massive change 60 years later?

Hurricane Ian disrupted the city's initial plans to renovate The Yacht Club Community Park, sparking a tug-of-war between traditionalists and the those advocating for progress on the fate of the facilities.

Workers started razing the building in April, after months of waiting for permits. The new Yacht Club will feature a two-story community center, a parking garage, new restaurant, pool, and other amenities.

The estimated cost of the project could be upward of $100 million with no clear date on when construction will start or be completed.

Yacht Club's new designs and plan Take a look at what architects pitch for a redesigned Cape Coral Yacht Club

The Yacht Club demolition begins Cape Coral's premier historic gemstone, The Yacht Club, will be gone by the end of May

Bustling beginning prompted by the Rosen brothers

Starting in the late 1950s, brothers Jack and Leonard Rosen, founders of Gulf Guarantee Land and Title Co., later renamed Gulf American Land Corp., embarked on a journey to turn a then 107-square-mile swamp peninsula into a company town that would eventually evolve into a still-growing city with more than 216,000 residents, according to the U.S. Census.

The first resident moved to the city in 1958, according to documents from The Cape Coral History Museum.

From there, the original Yacht Club opened its doors on June 10, 1962.

The $1 million complex included the iconic ballroom building, a yacht basis, tennis courts, a junior Olympic-sized pool, a fishing pier, and a beach. Architect William Kreidt designed the building with Fort Myers's Edelbut Construction Co., supervising construction.

The Gulf American Land Corporation owned the facility and would sell three-year memberships to the club.

"The very best way to enjoy the yacht club is not to wait for special programs, but to come by yourself, any day or night, perhaps for sunbathing on the beach …. or with a few friends, maybe for bridge – tables will be set up anytime," wrote William Thew, the first director and manager of the club, in the Cape Coral Sun in 1962.

A throwback to an Old Florida gathering place

Trull described the architecture of the original building as midcentury modern with a lot of personality.

She said it was a building akin to those built in the '50s throughout Florida.

"If you look back at some of the really early stuff that the Rosen Brothers put in the city, it follows along those same lines," Trull said. "It is a sought-after type of architecture today because things are not built in that format anymore, and it is very popular in South Florida."

Early residents could enjoy weekly square dances, and background music playing most of the day from outdoor speakers, soaking in the sun by the beach, or sitting by the blue water of the pool, according to the Cape Coral Sun.

Barbecues were frequent and plentiful as residents brought their families alongside an assortment of meats with the club supplying charcoal and pits, coffee, and cold drinks.

The Yacht Club was just a quarter mile from the first eight homes built in the city.

Eventually, a teen center that only allowed youths with a key was constructed.

Cape Coral Yacht Club gave birth to community service

Councilmember Tom Hayden called the Yacht Club the first true destination for the city.

He said because of the burgeoning nature in the early '60s, the facility was the only place that was big enough for events and groups to meet.

"Every single club got its original started at the Yacht Club," Hayden said. "From the oldest clubs: the garden club, the social club; the first churches in the Cape had their first services out there, all the city organizations started out there."

"It truly was the birthplace for how Cape Coral got its start," he added.

The city purchased the Yacht Club from The Gulf American Land Corporation in the mid-1970s for less than $1 million, and the teen club became the first senior center, The Tony Rotino Center, named after a former councilmember, according to documents from The Cape Coral History Museum.

Trull said the Yacht Club experienced so many changes and updates throughout its lifespan to reflect the community's needs.

"I think it did reflect the growth and the need for more facilities like that in the city because it was used on a regular basis by so many people," Trull said.

Former Cape Coral Mayor Joe Mazurkiewicz previously said his campaign launched at the Yacht Club, the meetings on whether the city should incorporate took place in the ballroom building, and it served as the site of many more substantial events.

Plans for the park

In 2018, voters approved a $60 million expansion of the city's parks and amenities through the Parks and Recreation General Obligation (GO) Bond. Part of that was intended for the Yacht Club Community Park.

The Cape Coral City Council had originally planned to close and begin work on renovations for the park in 2021.

But then Hurricane Ian struck the city on Sept. 28, 2022, delaying the project with the council eventually opting to revamp the whole area, with the city pointing toward the high cost of repairs and being over FEMA's 50% rule as justification for moving forward with new buildings and amenities.

Longtime residents and former city officials opposed the plans – however, they could not sway the council to change its mind.

The current plans include a new two-story community center to replace the ballroom, removing the tennis courts, rearranging the area to accommodate a four-story parking garage, a new restaurant, and a new 14,500-square-foot resort-style pool.

The proposed changes would bring a four-story garage with approximately 685 parking spaces, 15 surface spaces at the main building, 46 boat trailers, and 158 boat slip spaces – totaling 904 parking spaces.

Current parking at the park; including for boats, vehicles, and boat trailers, amounts to 551 total spaces.

The new two-story community center would have 47,000 square feet and include a new ballroom, concession, history room, exterior balcony, storage and meeting space, and a multi-purpose hall.

Cape Coral has already begun the work toward these changes as demolition started in April with the cherished ballroom building coming down last week.

Johnson-Laux Construction, a full-service construction management firm that operates out of Winter Garden, has been contracted to demolish and deconstruct the Yacht Club for $987,716.04.

The firm is also tasked with preserving a portion of the old ballroom building, which includes interior ceiling beams, stonework, a fountain, and interior doors.

Hayden said he fought to have a history room dedicated to the old Yacht Club building in the new two-story community center design.

"Things evolve, but I think for early residents of the city, the significance of the yacht club was their life," Hayden said. "We can't necessarily control what

Bitter and sweet for residents and officials alike

Gloria Tate, a former District One councilmember and longtime Cape Coral resident said the loss of the original building deeply saddens her.

Tate was against the city's plans to demolish the main Yacht club building and fought to preserve it as a historic building.

"Every fond memory I have is related to that Yacht Club," Tate said. "All of it is part of my life here in Cape Coral."

One such memory that she will always remember is petitioning to get into a Christmas dance at the teen center.

The year was around 1964, she was not 13 yet but wanted to be involved with the handful of teens in the then-small city.

"I was very happy to be allowed to access the property before I turned 13," Tate said. "It's nothing like it is today."

She said the new Yacht Club will never be what it was for the original pioneers in Cape Coral, but she's hopeful it will become a place for weddings, ceremonies, and "all kinds of life blessings" for the new generation of residents.

"I look forward to that," Tate said.

Though regrettable, Tate said she appreciates the council's effort to transform the area.

"I understand about progress, and I think it's going to be good to just get it started," Tate said. "After all this, let's just get on with it."

Not all residents share the sentiment.

Janis Keim, a Cape Coral resident since 1976 who worked as the Yacht Club manager for many years, said it hurt her heart to hear that the demolition began.

She spoke at council meetings to try to save the Yacht Club and mourns the loss of the community pool.

"Drowning is the leading cause of death of children under the age of 5 in the state of Florida, and we have no community pool in Cape Coral," Keim said.

Bob Lauson, who participated in the effort to save the Yacht club, called the city's plans horrible.

"I lost sleep over this," Lauson said. "I just didn't want that image in my head of that wrecking ball and whatever they are doing over there."

When he was made aware of the city's history five years ago, Lauson bought a '60s-style home in South Cape Coral. He would drive visitors to the Yacht club to witness where the city's history had started.

"I went to a lot of public meetings and events at the Yacht Club Ballroom, and I always thought it was a delight to go there, and my kids swam in the pool," Lauson said.

He hated the way the city switched its reasoning for not moving forward with the initial renovations of the club, from the city touting extensive damage to the facility as the main reason to later saying the deferred maintenance was the issue.

"It just seems to me that we have a council dominated by developers, real estate people," Lauson said. "There's some kind of race to 400,000 people, and I'm just concerned that the quality of life around here is going to go down."

He will miss the beauty of the building and what it represented.

"It just all goes with the narrative of the history of Cape Coral, and how they built that building to attract people to move here, and I think it was to show future property owners that they were really serious and that Cape Coral was going to be a special place," Lauson said.

The future of the park

Lauson said he's concerned that the Yacht Club area will remain empty for years before the city figures out how to pay and begin the construction of the facilities.

"You got to feel really sorry (for the neighborhood) because that's probably going to be an empty lot and an eyesore for years, and then there's going to be some big huge construction project," Lauson said.

Keim worries that the Yacht Club Community Park will eventually be commercialized.

"It just upsets me because I feel like Police and Fire (are) not under the gun to generate revenue like Parks and Rec," Keim said.

District One Councilmember Bill Steinke said the city's plans would enhance the area and provide a better place for more memories for future residents to enjoy.

"The great thing is that it will continue to be the gem (of the city), and it will be better than ever and will accommodate more of our population than ever, and it will provide services to our community members and our organizations – more than the previous facility could," Steinke said.

When the council member was an infant, his family would take him to go swimming in the original pool, with his kids using the facility for swimming throughout the '80s and '90s.

Additionally, he used to play racquetball and tennis there.

As a council member, he will work toward finding a suitable location for pickleball and tennis near the Yacht Club Park.

Steinke said he made many memories, but he's excited for the future of the park.

"You only miss your memories if you give up your memories," Steinke said.

Luis Zambrano is a Watchdog/Cape Coral reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. You can reach Luis at Lzambrano@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Lz2official.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Cape Coral residents reflect on the history of The Yacht Club