A Place in History

Look up, and you’ll see intricate scrolls and terra-cotta tiles, glowing like jewels in an heirloom necklace. Look down, and you’ll see paths and entryways of intricate brickwork and terrazzo tiles. Look all around—brick buildings and columned government and financial structures reflect dignity and solid foundations, an institutional statement not often offered by contemporary buildings.

None of this is by chance. Downtown Fort Myers is a historic preservation district, protected by federal and city preservation guidelines. No construction is done there without approval by Fort Myers’ Historic Preservation Commission, charged with keeping the district’s appearance in line with the way the city looked in the 1920s. As a result, anyone who wants to be downtown, with its proximity to government and courthouse offices, will likely be in a historic building.

That historical value is exactly what drove Mike Fink, of Fink & Boyle law firm, to renovate and occupy the historic Towles home on the western edge of downtown. The house, built in 1885, had most recently been a bank, and a funeral home before that, but when the bank made plans to relocate, the Towles home faced destruction.

Fink, who owned a lot just across the street, moved the house onto his property in 2005 to begin renovations as a law office. "For me it was a no-brainer," Fink says. "To allow this house to go away would be asinine."

Although he never compared costs of restoration versus building new, he believes he came out ahead, even after putting at least $1.3 million into the building. "You could never get a new building of this quality for that price," he says.

Tax credits for the restoration almost exactly cover his insurance costs, which are higher for the old wooden structure, he says. Other costs included pine heartwood that’s no longer commercially milled, and is custom-made trim to fit the building’s original look. There’s also ongoing maintenance to consider.

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