When our family moved here in 1956, my Dad went to work at the post office. He'd transferred from the office in Charleston, WVa. He later became Postmaster.
The post office, see photo below, was on the corner of Broad Avenue South and 3rd Street, across the street from the building shown--or a semblance of it. This, now, Old Naples Building has been remodeled and updated but you can still recognize the original in it. Kinda.
This very versatile structure was also, over the years, City Hall, the library, the original movie theatre and a retail store. Before the quonset hut theatre and Beach Store was built across the street, a projector was set up on a table in one of the rooms, and the latest Hollywood epics were run home-movie style. The building was originally used as the Beach Club "Company Offices."
Dave Dampier remembers that the area also hosted an airport. Research indicates it was the original Beach Club Golf Club and planes used it as a landing strip.
The Old Naples Building is kitty-corner from the Broad and 3rd traffic light. This was one of Naples original lights. Since the exclusive 3rd Street shopping area was shut down all summer, the light was turned off during those months. And most of the other time, too.
Folks didn't like the damn thing. Said we were getting so many durn traffic lights you couldn't drive any longer. It was after all, the third traffic light installed in the City of Naples.
(The other two were at 4-corners and 5th Ave So and 8th St.)
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