Five things to know about Warm Mineral Springs in North Port, Florida

Once thought to be the Fountain of Youth when it was discovered by explorer Juan Ponce de Leon, Warm Mineral Springs – an hourglass-shaped sinkhole primarily fed by an underground stream that pumps in 20 million gallons of 86 degree water per day – was closed Sept. 27 during Hurricane Ian's approach.

The 21.6-acre Springs Activity Center, surrounded by another 61.4 acres of parkland, has remained closed ever since its three historic structures were condemned because of damage from the storm.

North Port city commissioners will weigh a short-term plan for reopening public access for bathers at a special meeting scheduled for 1 p.m., Dec. 8.

Related: North Port commission sets long-term goals for landmark park

Meanwhile, an ongoing debate about public ownership and private development continues over the springs, which many users believe offers healing properties.

Here are five things to know about the history and significance of Warm Mineral Springs.

Warm Mineral Springs is a window to roughly 10,000 years of history

In the late 1950s, Warm Mineral Springs had been documented as an ancient Native American burial site, after retired Lt. Colonel William Royal reported discovering portions of seven human skulls and other human bone fragments. In 1972, Carl Clausen, an underwater archaeologist with the state of Florida, found human remains and charred wood about 45 feet below the surface that were radiocarbon dated to roughly 10,000 years ago. W.A. "Sonny" Cockrell, an underwater archaeologist with Florida State University, recovered several fragments of human bone as well as small animal bones in 1973.

The springs site was named to the National Register of Historic Places on Nov. 28, 1977.

Warm Mineral Springs began as a private spa and real estate venture

Warm Mineral Springs was developed as a spa shortly after World War II. In 1955, a family group that included Samuel Herron Jr. purchased the larger 83-ace Warm Mineral Springs property, including land around the springs, in conjunction with selling 3,000 lots in the community now known as Warm Mineral Springs.

"Those people who appreciate the benefits of mineral water compare Warm Mineral Springs to the other mineral springs in the world," Herron told the Herald-Tribune in 1991.

"People outside the U.S. have a much greater appreciation for mineral water than Americans," he said. "They think you should go on holiday to rest, relax and recharge your battery."

Herron hired Victor Lundy of the Sarasota School of Architecture to design the Warm Mineral Springs Motel, which opened in 1958. The three buildings that now have historical designation – a sales building, a spa and an accompanying cyclorama – are believed to have been designed by Jack West, another member of the Sarasota School of Architecture.

Those three buildings were built for the Florida Quadricentennial Celebration, which ran from December 1959 to March 1960.

Warm Mineral Springs has only been a public park since December 2010

Sarasota County and the city of North Port teamed up in December 2010 to buy Warm Mineral Springs from Cypress Lending Group Ltd. for  $5.5 million.

That purchase came more than two decades after a failed 1986 referendum that would have seen Sarasota County spend $4.5 million to buy the 83-acre site from Sam and Doris Herron of Venice, Mary Alice Wheeler of Venice and Fred Daley of Hanover, New Hampshire.

Cypress took possession of the park site from Golden Springs LLC, a group spearheaded by Ed Ullman and Sam Levy that purchased the site in 1999 for $3.75 million from the Herrons, Wheeler and Daley.

Ullman and Levy wanted to build a resort community with 270 residential units, 21 retail stores, restaurants, a conference center and "Fountain of Youth Institute for Natural Healing." That plan fell victim to the Great Recession.

They were successful in convincing the North Port City Commission to annex the property in the early 2000s – at the same time the board annexed the Thomas Ranch property west of the Myakka River.

The city of North Port and Sarasota County could never agree on a vision to proceed with the park – an impasse that caused the facility to close from July 2013 to April 2014

North Port bought Sarasota County’s interest for $2.75 million in September 2014 and the springs reopened for swimming, under a management agreement with National and State Park Concessions, Warm Mineral Springs Inc.

North Port created its Historic Register specifically for ‘Jack West’ buildings

The three Sarasota School of Architecture buildings that occupy the Springs Activity center along with the 2 ½-acre springs-fed site were originally envisioned as temporary structures and were moved to their current locations subsequent to the completion of the quadricentennial.

The sales and spa buildings – once connected to each other by a covered walkway or pergola – were designed to echo the hourglass shape of the 205-foot deep springs.

The cyclorama, essentially a circular exhibition hall with interior murals that tell a version of the story of Ponce de Leon’s quest for the Fountain of Youth, is believed to be one of only three left in the United States and 30 in the world.

The City Commission created the city’s Historic Register specifically for the three buildings, in part so they could land on the National Register for Historic Places and be eligible for grants to help pay for their restoration.

History secured, one more stab at public development

Once the spa, sales building and cyclorama were secure on the National Historic Register, North Port contracted with consultant Kimley-Horn & Associates, which hosted a series of public meetings in late 2018 and early 2019 while crafting a $19.5 million plan to develop the larger overall site in phases.

The city earmarked as much as $9.4 million in March to complete the first phase but scrapped that plan in favor of pursuing a public-private partnership once bids to complete the first phase came in almost twice what was anticipated. Currently the city is exploring one proposal, by WMS Development Group, to renovate the historic buildings on the 21.6-acre site and use the remaining 61.4 acres to develop a variety of amenities.

Under that proposal, WMS would lease the springs activity center and acquire ownership of the 61.4-acres for – among other things – a 250-unit resort hotel and 300 multi-family homes marketed to Eastern Europeans who frequent the springs, as well as a 22-acre recreation and community zone and a Native History Museum and restaurant. The city would still solicit competing proposals, as per an ordinance governing pursuit of a public-private partnership.

Information from Herald-Tribune archives was used in this report. Earle Kimel primarily covers south Sarasota County for the Herald-Tribune and can be reached at earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription to the Herald-Tribune.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: The history of Warm Mineral Springs in North Port, Florida