2781 Rhode Island Avenue
Home of Henry & Jennie L. Colquitt
This outstanding Craftsman home is one of the few homes in Dean Park built of brick. Its style is known as the “Airplane” style because of the recessed second floor that appears to “fly” under its broad roof eaves. It is almost identical to the other “Airplane” Craftsman home located nearby at 1511 Rhode Island Avenue.
On March 8, 1923, Dean Development Company sold this parcel to Henry and Jennie Colquitt for $2,000, subject to a restriction that any house built there cost at least $4,000. The Colquitts resided here until Mr. Colquitt’s death in 1935 and Mrs. Colquitt’s death in 1936, after which the home was sold by the Colquitt estate in 1942.
Mr. and Mrs. Colquitt were both Michigan natives, and they raised their family in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, where Mr. Colquitt was a successful real estate agent and developer. Mr. Colquitt continued his real estate career in Fort Myers from the Colquitt Real Estate office at the corner of Main Street and Broadway. His projects in Fort Myers included opening Broadway between First and Main Streets, where he built the Colquitt Building in 1925.
Earlier addresses: 4 Rhode Island Avenue; Dean’s Subdivision, Block D, Lot 16.