Member:
The unique shops of the National Historic District offer great diversions from the monotony of other shopping areas. Here one can find dozens of wonderful resources to make life and living more enjoyable...
"In 1990, the U.S. Department of the Interior formally listed the Lake Wales
Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places. The Lake Wales
Historic District includes a cohesive part of the city's downtown section and a number of
outlying buildings that possess historical and architectural significance. Seventeen
buildings in the downtown commercial area are individually listed in the National Register.
The National Register is the official
list of culturally significant historic
resources in the United States. The list is maintained by the U.S. Department of
the Interior. Authorized by Congress in 1935 for the purpose of recognizing
important federally-owned properties, the National Register was expanded in
1966 to include distinctive state and local properties.
Nominated properties must gain acceptance at both the state and federal
levels. In Florida, a seven-member panel carefully reviews nominations for
individual buildings or districts proposed for listing. Nominations consist
of extensive historical and architectural discriptions and photographic
documentation. The State Historic Preservation Officer submits nominations
to Washington, D.C. for federal review. Formal listing is announced by U.S.
Department of Interior authorities.
The criteria for selection emphasizes a building's quality of significance
in American history, architecture, and culture. To gain acceptance for
listing in the National Historic Register, a building must be associated
with historical events or people, exhibit distinctive stylistic character,
represent the work of a distinguished architect or builder, or promise to
yield important information about our common past.
Largely the product of the Great Florida Land Boom (1918-1926), the
historic commercial buildings found on Park Avenue and Stuart Avenue in
downtown Lake Wales reflect architectural designs commonly employed
throughout the United States in the early twentieth century."
~ William R. Adams, Historic Lake Wales, 1992
Return to Home Page
|
|
 |
