SWFL man transforms former segregated railroad depot into place of inclusion

If you haven’t driven by the train depot in Fort Myers recently, it has transformed into a community hub for bringing people together— in a space appropriately called the ‘collaboratory’.

The building is known for being segregated until the 1970s, and as we celebrate Black History Month, we introduce you to John Tobler, one of the faces who transformed the station and continues to transform the community.

In the early 1920s, the Atlantic Coastline Rail Road crossed through downtown Fort Myers on Jackson Street and until 1971 it was segregated—even when segregation was no longer on the books.

“I vaguely remember my mom walking me through here years and years ago,” said Dunbar native, John Tobler.

Tobler has fleeting memories of that time, but his story about the railroad depot really begins in 2017, when he was hired to renovate the old outdoor station.

Part of his crew’s job was to rip down the walls and floors segregating black and white riders.

“We were able to take a sledgehammer, knock down some floor,” said Tobler.

One person that comes to mind during that time is the man Johnny B. Smith, who has since passed away.

“He would often say I couldn’t stand in here when I was a young man, he says, but we’re here. We’re demoing these floors and we’re going to pour a new foundation,” said Tobler.

The Collaboratory did keep four pieces of the segregation alive as a reminder. The bathroom doors— two for the whites and two for the blacks, remain in place.

Today, they are joined on the inside.

When asked what he thought about keeping the doors there, Tobler said, “I’ve always been told if you forget from where you’ve come, it won’t be long before you repeat that again,” Tobler said.

The mission does not stop with John Tobler, the Collaboratory’s whole purpose is bringing people together in one space to create solutions to Southwest Florida’s most pressing issues.