McCollum Hall to add new tenants through new developer
As a correction to a previous release sent out on October 28, 2022, McCollum Hall is not changing its name. Rather the historic property located at 2701 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Fort Myers will house Thirty8 Collective and Thirty8Flats.
At the June 22, 2022 Board of Commissioners meeting, the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) voted to approve Goshen + Cornerstone, LLC as the new developer for McCollum Hall for the restoration, purchase or lease and management of the McCollum Hall property.
Alexander Goshen + Cornerstone Strategic Partners, LLC, developers of McCollum Hall, have announced the historic building will be adding THIRTY8 Collective that will include a 14,200/sf of commercial retail space at the existing McCollum Hall structure. The retail space will be used as a market/food hall.
The food and market hall that will accompany a 26-unit multi-family community on the adjacent parcels called THIRTY8 Flats, is an homage to 1938, the year McCollum Hall was built.
“As McCollum Hall has officially been added to the National Register of Historic Places, we cannot and would not change the name and we apologize for the miscommunication from our previous announcement,” said said Executive Director, Fort Myers CRA, Michele Hylton-Terry, who has worked to restore McCollum Hall since 2007.
Community members are invited to the hall at 2701 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Fort Myers Saturday, Nov. 12, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., to attend an engagement event to celebrate the new name and participate in listening sessions to discuss the changes
“We want THIRTY8 Collective to be a place for everyone to feel welcome and enjoy,” said Leonard Burke, managing partner, Cornerstone Strategic Partners, LLC. “Our top priority is listening to the community and preserving the site’s history.”
The event will engage the Dunbar community around the topic of the McCollum Hall project, giving residents a chance to share thoughts, ideas, and feedback. It will include a kid’s area with bounce houses, face painting, and snow cones; food trucks; local vendors; CPR and first-aid training; and more.
With multiple failed attempts by other developers to restore the area, Alexander Goshen + Cornerstone Strategic Partners, LLC, are confident they can bring the complex back to its former glory. Additionally, the company’s goal is to establish THIRTY8 Collective to be an integral part of the community. Recently, the Red Cross utilized the site as ground zero to assist people affected by Hurricane Ian.
McCollum Hall was constructed in 1938 by Clifford McCollum, Sr., as a commercial center in the Dunbar area. The second story housed a dance hall whose stage hosted many famous Performers like Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, B.B. King, and others throughout the 1930s and ’40s. It was a center for commerce, music and entertainment and one of the few places Blacks and whites commingled during segregation.
McCollum Hall has officially been added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The last two developers were not able to raise funds for the project, so the CRA once again searched for a developer that could bring the project to fruition.
For more information and updates on the development, visit thirty8collective.com.