A Gainesville, Florida Gem

By: Carol Perry

As seen in The Antique Shoppe Newspaper, June 2006

A discreet plaque on the side of the sprawling, red-roofed, Mediterranean Revival-style building proclaims "The Thomas Center." The citizens of Gainesville, Florida take justifiable pride in the handsome building, home to the City of Gainesville Department of Cultural Affairs. To look at the cream-colored structure set in the midst of a lush, tree-shaded, six-acre expanse of manicured gardens, the visitor would never guess that little more than two decades ago this architectural gem was slated for the wrecker's ball.

However, with wise planning, patient dedication and unflagging determination, the complex of buildings which, since the early 20th century had served as private home, community college and resort hotel, was rescued. Today's visitor to The Thomas Center can experience first-hand a bit of the glamour of Gainesville  "boomtown" days of the 1920s, when land-seeking tourists poured into Florida.

Gainesville needed a first class hotel back then, and in January of 1928 the Hotel Thomas welcomed its first guests. The hotel was named for prominent citizen, politician and entrepreneur Major William R. Thomas, whose own home, " Sunkist Villa" was the nucleus of the hotel. With the addition of a glass-roofed atrium, a new guest wing, some enclosed porches and an added third story, the hotel proved a great success and would not close its ornate doors for forty years! Throughout that time, The Hotel Thomas served as the town's--and the nearby University of Florida's--social center. When Gainesville went "wet" in 1963, the Cornish Arms Cocktail Lounge, located in the very room which once had served as the Thomas family's parlor, was acclaimed as the "most comfortable cocktail lounge in town."

But just a few years later "downtown redevelopment" became the watchword, and it seemed to many of the city fathers that 6.2 acres of prime real estate less than five blocks from the center of Gainesville had some very good investment possibilities. Visions of a new office building complex danced in their heads. Thankfully, concerned citizens made the rehabilitation of the old Hotel Thomas a county-wide Bicentennial project, and today it sits, surrounded by its lovely gardens, the centerpiece of a National Historic District...a grand old house with a brand new use.

Visitors to The Thomas Center today are invited to take a self-guided tour of this historic building. A spacious, well-lighted art gallery hosts up to a dozen shows each year and guests are invited to review the works at their leisure.

Throughout the building people of all ages are charmed by the authentic 1920s decor. The hotel featured twelve fireplaces, and sharp-eyed guests will notice that although the mantelpieces are all similar, no two are identical. Original lighting sconces are still in use and ornate polished brass hardware accents heavy wooden doors.

A history room contains especially selected displays to acquaint the viewer with the time when the Hotel Thomas first opened. Framed magazine advertisements from 1928 offer a point of reference and a colorful display of memorabilia includes a circa 1928 Mickey Mouse doll, and a fine old Atwater-Kent radio.

Nearby is a high-ceilinged, book-lined conference room where a delicate Venetian lace wedding veil, worn in 1935 by a Thomas daughter, is displayed in a floor-to-ceiling frame. The Thomas Center is still a popular place for weddings, receptions, banquets and balls. The hotel lobby looks now much as it must have appeared to those long-ago Northern visitors. Comfortable chairs flank a terra-cotta tiled fireplace and an Art Nouveau figural newel post lamp decorates the gleaming hardwood staircase leading to the second floor.

The room facing the lobby was the original family parlor, back when this was "Sunkist Villa" and later served as the popular Cornish Arms Cocktail Lounge. (The old family piano is still in its original place.)

Upstairs, Major Thomas' bedroom gives us a good sense of the decorating trends of the times. It's a room with touches of the Major's personality too, with his comfortable old Morris chair, his cedar box, a family Bible and even his ever-present cigar.

A stroll outside reveals a rather eclectic mix of architectural expressions popular in the 1920s. Shell-and-flower swags decorate building fronts and cast concrete urns hold greenery. A pair of cast iron whippet dogs guard the main entrance and a small fountain features classic shell and turtle motifs. Concrete benches and wooden settees dot the gardens, welcoming visitors to sit for a while beneath the majestic live oaks, giant Washington palms and saucer magnolias.

The Thomas Center, complete with gardens, grounds and historical rooms, serves the cultural, civic and social life of the Gainesville community in the twenty-first century, just as it has since 1928.

The Thomas Center is located at 302 NE 6th Avenue in Gainesville. For more information call 352-334-5064; Fax 352- 334-2144 or visit www.gvculturalaffairs.org.

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