CLEARWATER, Fla. — New this summer, one of the oldest houses in the city of Clearwater has been revitalized.
The historic Plumb House, which dates back to 1896, was on the verge of being torn down by the city of Clearwater until a group of passionate volunteers, led by the Clearwater Historical Society, not only saved it but turned it into a community destination.
WATCH: Clearwater Historical Society helps save and revitalize historic home
The wooden Florida Vernacular house belonged to the Plumb Family for more than 80 years.
“Ralph Plumb bought the house; his mother was Jenny Plumb, who was the first paid teacher in Pinellas County,” said Allison Dolan, President of the Clearwater Historical Society.
The house was moved to Ed Wright Park and donated to the Clearwater Historical Society in 1983. However, for the last several years, it’s sat vacant and in need of repairs.
“The city came to us and said, ‘It’s on our property, we are going to demolish it unless you do something to it,'” said Dolan.
So Dolan, along with a team of volunteers, campaigned to have the house placed on the state’s prestigious list of 11 To Save, run by the Florida Trust for Historical Preservation.
“Every year they pick 11 structures that are in danger of being torn down or no longer with us to tell the story of Florida,” said Dolan. “It was a long shot, but we tried for it and we won and I thought, ‘wow that was kind of cool that we kind of won this,’ and gave us access to funds to make the house go further.”
That brings us to this summer’s grand opening of the Tea Room at Lake Belleview, consisting of a boutique and tea business on the first floor and artist studios on the second floor. Sherry Aquilar is one of the residing artists and runs the tearoom.
“I didn’t think it would be something I would ever do, it’s just turning out to be amazing, the history that is here, doing some of the decora to match the era,” said Aquilar.
The historical society spent more than $100,000 on updates such as plumbing and electrical systems while maintaining the historical integrity of the house, from the telephone to the cash register to the teacups to even the bathtub.
“We didn’t want to take anything out of the house that was here, and we wanted to bring as much history back into the house as we could,” said Aquilar.
The Tea Room at Lake Belleview is holding an open house Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon, and every item sold in the boutique goes right back to maintaining the home.
Dolan said she couldn’t be prouder of what they accomplished.
“It was the best feeling ever because sometimes you think you are on your own island, but then you realize other people care about the same things you do,” said Dolan.
Share Your Story with Robert
We all take pride in where we live, and Robert Boyd takes pride in highlighting North Pinellas County. Concerns and triumphs from Clearwater to Tarpon Springs and everywhere in-between, Robert is here for you. Just use the form below to reach out to Robert.
.
Lutz residents fight private school rezoning at county hearing
More than 30 residents showed up to Hillsborough County's Land Use Hearing to reject a rezoning proposal that would bring a 1,000-student private school to Lutz.
