Historic Bokeelia house saved
The small cottage that sits at 8146 Main Street Bokeelia has been vacant for years. Known as the “Spicer Cottage” after the original owners, Mr. and Mrs. E.D. Spicer, the tiny one bedroom, one bath, 456 sq. ft. house was built in 1940. Last week the house was raised nearly 10 feet off the ground. Current owners have decided to preserve the old cottage.
Tax records identify the property at a “one-story frame house built on a concrete pad.” The house has been vacant since the 1990’s because of extensive water damage from flooding over the years. In a 2014 Historic Preservation Designation Report the property is described as a historic property. Nearby are other historic properties such as the Jug Creek Cottages built in the 1930’s and 1940’s.
The most recent real estate listing identified the property as: “Bayfront property with magnificent views from this most northerly property on Pine Island. From this vantage point one can see sunrise and sunset as well as moonrise and moonset from April into the end of summer. Long vistas from Cayo Costa Island to Boca Grand & into Charlotte Harbor to Burnt Store Marina.” The views are spectacular but the house is in a state of disrepair. The property was listed for $525,000.
“We purchased that property from Mr. and Mrs. E.D. Spicer in 1982 as a rental cottage and then brought 10 smaller cottages up from Fort Myers Beach,” previous owner Bill Cyzewski said. “Two of them are along the waterfront nearby.”
According to the Historical Preservation survey “This small cottage is associated with the early development pattern of Bokeelia in Pine Island Florida specifically the early settlers and part time residents. It has historical, cultural and architectural significance.”
“When I came here that’s all Bokeelia consisted of is these small cottages,” Cyzewski said “People with lots of money lived alongside people with very little money. I’m just thankful the current owners, the Clarendon’s, own the property and have the means to preserve a piece of what Bokeelia used to look like”.