Green Gables (Melbourne, Florida)
Green Gables | |
Green Gables in 2014 prior to restoration | |
| Location | 1501 South Harbor City Boulevard, Melbourne, Florida |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 28°5′6″N 80°36′22″W / 28.08500°N 80.60611°W |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| NRHP reference No. | 16000269[1] |
| Added to NRHP | May 18, 2016 |
Green Gables, also known as the Wells House, is a historic home at 1501 South Harbor City Boulevard in Melbourne, Florida, United States. The house fronts the Indian River and is one of a few Queen Anne style homes that still exist in Brevard County.
Local businessman William T. Wells purchased the property from the Strobah family, who were early landowners in Melbourne.[2] He built the Green Gables in 1886 with his wife Nora Stanford Wells as a winter home.[3]
Green Gables is an example of Queen Anne style architecture, and it is believed to be the first home in the area with indoor plumbing and an indoor bathroom.[3] It was also one of the first homes in Melbourne to have electricity.[4] It is a two-story, six-bedroom house with an octagon-shaped porch.[5] On May 18, 2016, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.[6]
The original property was 150 acres that included the area now occupied by Wells Park and the Melbourne Public Library on East Fee Avenue and Hickory Street.[4]
Green Gables was scheduled for demolition in 2015, but a group of local historians and community volunteers are working with the owners, fourth generation family members, to save the house due to its historical significance to the area.[3] In May 2018, the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation included the house on its "11 to save list".[5] The community needed $500,000 to salvage the house as of April 2020.[7] In July 2022 Green Gables was awarded a $500,000 Special Category Grant from the Division of Historic Resources from the State of Florida. On June 12, 2023, Ownership of Green Gables was transferred to the non-profit organization of Green Gables at Historic Riverview Village.[8]
William Twining Wells
Wells was from New Jersey and New York, and owned the Wells Rustless Iron Company.[3] Wells managed a pineapple plantation on the beach.[6] He also donated 35 acres of land for a local park named Wells Park on East Hibiscus Boulevard and built the first auditorium, high school and library in Melbourne.[2] His wife Nora was the niece of Leland Stanford, founder of Stanford University.[2]
References and external links
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b c Datzman, Ken. "Preservation of Green Gables property years in making; Gala set Feb. 27", Brevard Business News, West Melbourne, Florida, volume 44, number 2, 26 January 2026, pages 1, 22 and 23.
- ^ a b c d Datzman, Ken. "Local organization works to purchase and preserve Green Gables, a home on the National Register of Historic Places; 1920s-themed fund-raiser set Nov. 5", Brevard Business News, West Melbourne, Florida, volume 34, number 42, 17 October 2016, pages 11 and 17.
- ^ a b Datzman, Ken. "'Holiday Tour of Historic Homes' in Brevard kicks off—showcases some of the county's history; decorated homes are now open to the public for viewing", Brevard Business News, West Melbourne, Florida, volume 39, number 50, 13 December 2021, page 21.
- ^ a b Datzman, Ken. "Green Gables at Historic Riverview Village prevails in quest to preserve, restore Wells family home; awarded matching grant from the state for home purchase", Brevard Business News, West Melbourne, Florida, volume 40, number 37, 12 September 2022, pages 12 and 19.
- ^ a b Neale, Rick. "Gables Wins Designation", Florida Today, volume 51, number 114, 8 July 2016, pages 1A and 2A.
- ^ Pallone, Greg. "Historic Melbourne home in danger of demolition", Spectrum News 13, 28 April 2020.
- ^ Neale, Rick. "Green Gables nonprofit finally buys Melbourne historic house after years of fundraising", Floridatoday.com, 13 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.