Woodmen Hall (Stuart, Florida)
Encyclopedia
Woodmen Hall is an historic 2-story wooden Woodmen of the World
Woodmen of the World
Woodmen of the World is a fraternal organization based in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, that operates a large privately held insurance company for its members....

 building located 217 SW Akron Avenue, corner of SW 3rd Street in Stuart
Stuart, Florida
Stuart is the only incorporated city of Martin County, Florida, on Florida's Treasure Coast. The population was 14,633 at the 2000 census. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 15,964....

, Martin County
Martin County, Florida
Martin County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 126,731. The U.S. Census Bureau 2008 estimate for the county is 138,660. Its county seat is Stuart, Florida.- History :...

, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

. It was built between 1913-1914 by local master carpenter Sam Matthews. Like many fraternal buildings built in the late 19th century and early 20th century, the ground floor was designed for commercial use, while the upper floor was designed for use as a meeting room for Pineapple Camp No. 150, Woodmen of the World as well as community groups. Prominent members of Pineapple Camp include George W. Parks, who had a general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...

 in what is now the Stuart Heritage Museum
Stuart Heritage Museum
The Stuart Heritage Museum at 161 Southwest Flagler Avenue in Stuart, Florida, is a local history museum located in an historic 2-story frame building built in 1901 by George W. Parks. Parks used the first floor of the building for his Geo. W. Parks Grocery and General Merchandise Store and second...

 and in 2000 was added to the state's list of Great Floridians. Early users of the first floor include H.A. Carlisle's Feed Store. From the 1930s until 1959, Southern Bell used the first floor as a business office, while the Stuart telephone exchange was located on the second floor. Recent uses have included a church (the Treasure Coast Presbyterian Church) and a coffee house and open mic music venue. One group performing in it even calls itself, Woodmen Hall. The building has been recently renovated through the efforts of Stuart Main Street. An elevator has been added. The double outside staircases on the eastern part of the south side have been reduced to one, while an outside staircase has been added on the north side toward Akron Avenue. The two large front windows differ from those shown in a 1925 photograph.
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In 1989, Woodmen Hall was listed in A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture, published by the University of Florida Press.
" Today the building of 3600 square feet (1800 square feet per floor) is being advertised for lease in whole or by floor.
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