Bonita Springs neighbors protest demolition of historic Wonder Gardens building

Families are upset because they say they weren’t told about the demolition of a historic building in Bonita Springs. They’re fighting back by organizing a protest to keep the old Everglades Wonder Gardens restaurant.

The building is more than 70 years old, and you can probably tell just by looking at it. But neighbors tell WINK News it’s a place that helped put Bonita Springs on the map. It means so much to them that they’re begging city leaders not to demolish it.

The Bonita Springs City Council voted unanimously on May 4 to tear the building down. The decision was based on the high renovation cost: In 2019, the repair cost was estimated at around $100,000.

Charlie Strader, former president of the Bonita Springs Historical Society, says taxpayers would have liked a say in what happened to this historic building and that many were not aware of the council’s quick decision to demolish it. Although Bonita Springs has a history of tearing down buildings of significance, neighbors are upset they had no chance to give their input.

“It stunned many people, including the city’s own historic preservation board, who, once they found out, were dismayed, confused and upset and voted, you know, not to have it torn down, or at least [to] make their wishes known,” Strader said. “We’re losing these things one by one, and every one hurts a little bit, to those of us that care.”

WINK reached out to city leaders for comment, and the communications director for Bonita Springs says the city will need to apply for a certificate of appropriateness before the old Everglades Wonder Gardens restaurant can be demolished. This will go before the Bonita Springs Historic Preservation Board at its next meeting, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on July 28 at Bonita Springs City Hall, located at 9101 Bonita Beach Road SE.

Strader says the Everglades Wonder Gardens restaurant is a place where neighbors have memories several decades old, however high the renovation cost may be.

“I think it’s part of what you would call the fabric or landscape of the historic Bonita Springs; it contributes to our small-town charm,” Strader said. “We hopefully live in a democracy. But if you don’t ask or let people vote, either through polling or survey, well, you suffer the consequences. And that’s what has many of us concerned.”

A protest against the demolition began on the sidewalk outside the old Wonder Gardens building at 8 a.m.

David Rahahe•ti Webb, president and CEO of Everglades Wonder Gardens, offered the following statement: