Pursuit of national reputation

Mount Dora wants section of downtown listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Mount Dora hires a consultant to survey downtown's significant buildings.

Martin E. Comas | Sentinel Staff Writer

January 8, 2008

MOUNT DORA - With its quaint downtown dotted with antique shops, two-story historic homes and century-old bungalows, the city has long worked to preserve its past.

"The prime marching order from our residents has always been to preserve the city's character," City Council member James Homich said Monday.

City officials say it's time that a major portion of Mount Dora's downtown be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The designation would be mostly for prestige. The city already has a downtown historic district and a historic preservation board. A downtown district listed on the national registry would not mean new restrictions or rules for property owners or businesses other than what the city already has in place. It also would not affect property appraisals or taxes, according to Mount Dora officials.

But being listed on the register might lure out-of-state travelers who look specifically for national historic districts when planning vacations.

"It's mostly a prestigious thing," said Gus Gianikas, Mount Dora assistant planning and development director.

Also, commercial properties within a historic district listed on the national register might be eligible for tax breaks, city officials said.

This week, Bland & Associates, a Jacksonville consulting firm, will begin a historic-building survey throughout downtown Mount Dora.

The firm will look at more than 700 buildings and try to identify the original owners, when structures were built, their use over time, their style and modifications.

The area being studied is roughly bordered by 11th Avenue on the north, Highland Street on the east, Liberty Avenue on the south and Helen Street and Lake Dora on the west. The boundaries for a national historic district could later be changed, said Gianikas, who is overseeing the project for Mount Dora.

The city's historic-preservation board will review the results of the survey and pass along a recommendation to the council by the end of the year.

Mount Dora then will apply to be placed on the national register through Florida's state historic-preservation program. The National Register of Historic Places is overseen by the National Parks Services, which is part of the U.S. Department of Interior.

If successful, Mount Dora would not have the only national historic district in Lake County.

Eustis' Commercial Historic District, for example, was approved for listing on the national register in July 2005. That process took about 21/2 years to complete.

Also, several structures in Mount Dora are already on the national register, including the Donnelly House on Donnelly Street, and the Lakeside Inn and the Mount Dora Area Chamber of Commerce building, both on Alexander Street.

Designating a district within the city on the national register gives residents another reason to feel proud of their city, Mayor Melissa DeMarco said.

"This will be a shot in the arm to keep people to continue to preserve and protect the historic architecture of the city," DeMarco said.

Martin E. Comas can be reached at mcomas@orlandosentinel.com or 352-742-5927.
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