Community centerpiece in Dunbar comes back to life through art

A cultural centerpiece in Dunbar is being restored to its former glory.

McCollum Hall has a long history as a staple of the community. It was once a place for entertainment, where everyone of any color was invited, and now it’s coming back to life.

You may not look twice at the vacant building along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, just east of downtown Fort Myers, but you can watch it reflourish.

It was the place to be in the 1930s and 40s, and rare in the days of segregation.

“McCollum Hall as a venue was very transcendent in that it provided a common space and safe place for Blacks and whites to come together,” said Antoine Williams, assistant director of the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).

“It got famous because it became part of that Chitlin circuit with the Duke Ellingtons and all of those great performers,” said Charles Barnes, chairman of the Lee County Black History Society.

“There were stories where it said there was a string that separated in the middle between the white and Black tenants that were actually there enjoying the music, but the music got so good that the rope came down and everybody was dancing with everybody.”

Buck McCollum was a Black businessman who created the venue in the 1930s. The Fort Myers CRA wants to bring those days back to life by reviving the building and painting the past through murals located in Buck’s backyard.

“This is an homage to their lifestyles, their culture, and their memories here in this Dunbar area,” said Shari Shifrin, director of the Fort Myers Mural Society.

“What we’re trying to do is, we’re trying to tell the story of not only McCollum Hall but McCollum Hall’s influence on the Dunbar community,” said Erik Schlake, an independent artist and mural artist in Fort Myers.

That story begins with Paul Laurence Dunbar. Not from the neighborhood that bears his name, but at the start of the 20th century, he was among the first influential Black poets.

The story continues with scenes recreated from photos of McCollum Hall – the dancing, the stores, the everyday gatherings. There’s also a portrait of Evelyn Sams Canady, who founded the Dunbar Easter parade.

“We are representing culture. We are trying to educate the community through culture,” said J.P. Almonacid, an independent artist. “Art goes hand in hand with history.”

“I’m trying to tell better stories that I can kind of create a building block or really, stepping stones from the past to the present,” Schlake said.

And in the future, McCollum Hall will be ready for a new story.

“We hope that it will be an economic draw and asset not just for the City of Fort Myers but Lee County and Southwest Florida as a whole,” Williams said.

“Recognizing the history, celebrating the history, and also acknowledging the need for to transition this property in this community in such a place to where everyone can benefit.”

Crews have finished the exterior renovations to McCollum Hall. Construction on the inside of the building is set to begin next month and wrap up in December.

The artists say they’ll be done with the murals by the end of March.