Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
This newly-restored building on North First Street now houses four businesses, including two new restaurants.
Two new restaurants are among the immediate results of the investment in a renewed downtown historic district by the Community Redevelopment Agency and the City of Lake Wales. The city recently celebrated the opening of the re-imagined Park Avenue which, along with stretches of First Street, Scenic Highway, and the Market Plaza, have been turned into lush gardens lining brick streets intended to create an attractive setting for dining and retail.
The Thirsty Dragon, an old-world style tavern, opened last month in a newly-remodeled building at 126 North First Street. Featuring a menu of "small plates" including quesadillas, stuffed grape leaves, and baked brie, the beautifully-decorated space offers a lineup of nine draft beers and a curated list of more than 40 wines.
Masons work on restoring the historic dentil work bricks on the facade of a commercial duplex facing Park Avenue. The building is one of several that are being returned to their original appearances.
Three doors to the south, Smokin; DJ's, a barbecue restaurant, will be opening in a matter of days. The dining spot is an outgrowth of a long-popular Lake Wales food truck business known as D on Wheelz. It features a menu of slow-cooked meats and sides.
The new businesses are being accompanied by investments by property owners who are restoring the historic appearance of their properties along the streets. A two-story building at 244 East Park is nearing completion of a transformation that has restored its 1916 façade.
Undertaken by Robin Gibson, the building was previously a windowless slab of stucco after a "modernizing" effort several decades ago. Once completed, the building will feature an elevator, four new dwelling units upstairs, and two expansive retail spaces downstairs, one of which will soon be occupied by Luxe Bride, a bridal and formalwear shop. Theo's Catering will soon occupy the other half of the lower level.
Nearby, The Pink Flamingo, an ice cream parlor located inside the Arcade, is expanding to open a full-service soda fountain and grill fronting upon Park Avenue. That project is expected to take several more months before completion.
A 'village green; and elaborate new landscaping now enhance the environment of downtown Lake Wales following the completion of the Park Avenue phase of the Lake Wales Connected plan.
Across the street, a formerly stucco-covered façade at 211 East Park is also being returned to its historic look. Crews were recently working to restore the detailed brick dentil work above the entrances to the commercial duplex which houses Hair Affair.
Attracting retail services is expected to boost property values in the historic heart of the city, leading to new investment which is already becoming evident. The work was spurred by the adoption of the Lake Wales Connected plan, a document created by a community-wide effort over a period of five months two years ago.
The historic JT Rhodes Building was among the first constructed by local builder Jimmy "Good" Rhodes, who went on to build both the Rhodesbilt and Alcoma Arcades and the original Western Union building in downtown Lake Wales. A bridal and formalwear shop will soon occupy the western portion of the ground floor. while Theo's Catering will be building out kitchen facilities to move into the eastern side.
The Connected plan will continue to improve area streets, with work expected to begin this summer on Orange and Crystal Avenues and an intersecting stretch of North Market Street.
Work will also begin this year on an additional block of North First Street adjacent to the US Post Office before eventually expanding to several more blocks to the north.
Reader Comments(0)