The Historical Society of Avon ParkAVON PARK, FL · EST. 1886
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William L. Smith

William L. Smith was the foremost early twentieth-century master builder and masonry contractor in Avon Park. Operating during the transitional decade following the 1912 arrival of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, Smith introduced permanent brick and masonry commercial architecture to a town previously constructed almost exclusively of native yellow pine wood framing.[nrhp-historic-district][nhu-1913-05-04]

Construction of the First Brick Block (1912)

In 1912, Smith won the contract to build the landmark commercial block at 1–9 West Main Street, situated immediately adjacent to the railroad crossing at Main Street and Museum Avenue (formerly Railroad Avenue).[nrhp-historic-district]

  • First Brick Structure: The building is officially recognized as the first brick structure erected in Avon Park, marking the town’s transition from frontier wood-frame settlement to substantial commercial railhead.[nrhp-historic-district]
  • Tenants and Architecture: Constructed of structural red clay brick with cast-concrete sills and a corbeled brick parapet, the ground floor contained the town’s primary financial institution—outfitted with imported ceramic tile floors, brass teller grilles, and marble counters—with adjoining storefronts housing the Avon Park Pharmacy and the United States Post Office.[nhu-1913-05-04][sanborn-1920] The banking quarters housed the private and state banking firms that organized as The First National Bank of Avon Park by December 1916.
  • Historic District Anchor: Today the Smith-built 1912 bank block forms one of the premier contributing historic resources within the Avon Park Historic District (NRHP #90000486).[nrhp-historic-district]

Major Civic and Commercial Works in Avon Park

Following the completion of the bank block, Smith executed several major construction projects across the municipality:

  1. First Methodist Church (1919–1921): Constructed at South Lake and South Forest avenues, featuring cream-brick masonry craftsmanship that anchored the expanding residential avenues south of Main Street.[nrhp-historic-district]
  2. The Coen Building: A substantial multi-bay brick commercial block on West Main Street that provided dry goods and retail merchandising space during the pre-boom era.[nrhp-historic-district]
  3. The Whidden Building: A prominent downtown commercial structure accommodating local service trades and professional offices.[nrhp-historic-district] Its date is fixed by the county paper’s Avon Park column of 25 February 1915: “Contractors Smith & Pabor have the foundations in for the Whidden block, and the brick will be commenced at once,” the Smith of the firm being, presumably, William L. Smith.[dsc-1915-02-25]

Regional Masonry Contracting

Smith’s contracting firm expanded beyond Avon Park to execute major institutional and commercial masonry contracts across central and southwest Florida:

  • Polk and Highlands Counties: Erecting brick school and commercial facilities in Haines City, Mountain Lake, and Venus.[nrhp-historic-district]
  • DeSoto and Charlotte Counties: Constructing commercial masonry blocks in Charlotte Harbor and Arcadia prior to the 1921 county division.[nrhp-historic-district]

Through these works, Smith established the physical foundation of Avon Park’s downtown commercial district and set the architectural standards that shaped its 1920s boom-era expansion.

References

Where this comes from

Evidence
corroborated — More than one independent source agrees.
Review
unverified — Drafted from sources but not yet checked by a volunteer.
Rights
society

Sources

  1. S. F. Tucker (department editor), The De Soto County News, Arcadia, Fla., The De Soto County News, 25 February 1915, page 7: Avon Park Department, S. F. Tucker, Editor (1915) · newspaper
  2. Historic Property Associates and National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Avon Park Historic District (Reference #90000486) (1990)
  3. The New Haven Union (New Haven, Conn.), Winter Scenes Down at Avon Park, Florida, The New Haven Union, 4 May 1913, page 23 (1913)
  4. Sanborn Map Company, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, Avon Park, DeSoto County, Florida, November 1920 (1920)

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