Don’t demolish Warm Mineral Springs’ historic buildings

In the late 19th century, visitors from northern states – drawn by the salubrious climate and healthful waters of Florida – came pouring into this state.

Luxurious accommodations opened to attract wealthy clientele at places such as Green Cove Springs and White Sulphur Springs, so guests taking the waters could have a comfortable experience. This age-old bathing tradition, still popular in much of the world, once drew large numbers of tourists and health-seeking visitors to Florida.

The development of Warm Mineral Springs did not happen until the mid-20th century, as promoters saw an opportunity to use the spring as an amenity for boosting real estate sales. Quadricentennial celebrations occurring in St. Augustine and Pensacola inspired the spring’s owners to build state-of-the-art facilities designed in a modern style that what would later come to be known as the Sarasota School of Architecture.

The buildings were designed by noted architect Jack West and they included a spa building that housed exhibits during the Quadricentennial celebration and a cyclorama depicting Ponce de León’s quest for the Fountain of Youth. Cycloramas featured 360-degree panoramic paintings that gave the audience an immersive experience, well before motion pictures became available. Cycloramas are relatively rare in the United States today with the exceptions of the Civil War cycloramas in Gettysburg and Atlanta. The Warm Mineral Springs cyclorama may be the only one still on display in its original building, another reason for its preservation.

The design of the spa building was inspired by the spring itself – the footprint was an hourglass shape modeled after a cross section of the spring and it was exactly the same length as the springs depth.

Due in large part to construction on the Tamiami Trail, the Warm Mineral Springs Quadricentennial celebration, created to lure potential homebuyers, failed to draw significant crowds and closed in March 1960 after a three-month run.

The spa building was still in use when I first visited the spring in 2011. The entire complex, then managed by a private entity, looked tidy and well cared for despite its age. After receiving damage from Hurricane Ian in 2022, however, the buildings were shuttered by the city of North Port, the springs’ current owner and operator.

A survey of the historic structures commissioned by the city in 2016 determined that the buildings “should be retained” and had “potential to be a major heritage tourism draw.”

Three years later, North Port created a local historic register in order to landmark the spring’s buildings. But when a public-private partnership for the property fell apart recently, the city commission voted to investigate the cost of demolishing the historic buildings.

Why preserve these buildings? Today only ruins remain of the Gilded Age spas at other Florida springs. The midcentury structures at Warm Mineral Springs are unique in that they are vestiges of both Florida tourism history and the Sarasota School of Architecture.

At Silver Springs, now a state park, the pavilion designed by Sarasota School architect Victor Lundy has an interpretive display illuminating the architect’s legacy; in fact, the building itself is named in his honor. The same could be done to honor Jack West if his buildings can be preserved at Warm Mineral Springs.

Thousands of health-seeking visitors seek restoration in the healing waters of the springs annually. Now it’s time to restore the springs’ historic architecture.

Rick Kilby is the author of “Florida’s Healing Waters.” an award-winning book published in 2020.