Island says goodbye to Kennedy-era Health Clinic Annex building
Demolition of the Boca Grande Health Clinic Annex building, located at 280 Park Avenue, began on November 25, marking the start of a promising new chapter for healthcare on the island. The decision to expedite the demolition came after the annex sustained extensive damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
The demolition paves the way for the Clinic of the Future, a state-of-the-art facility designed to meet the evolving health needs of the community. This new clinic will be equipped with advanced diagnostic tools, including onsite CT scans, enhanced X-ray and ultrasound capabilities and expanded lab services, enabling faster and more accurate diagnoses. When completed in 2026, patients will no longer need to travel off-island for essential tests, improving both outcomes and convenience.
By bringing primary and urgent care services under one roof, the Clinic of the Future will streamline operations, foster closer collaboration among care providers, and offer a seamless, patient-centered experience tailored to the community’s needs. The facility will also feature negative pressure exam rooms, ensuring the highest safety and infection control standards.
The annex has been the location for the clinic’s urgent care services and physical therapy, as well as offices for the Boca Grande Health Clinic Foundation. Construction of the new clinic will begin after all county approvals have been secured. In the interim, the clinic is working with Fitness Quest to find alternative arrangements for physical therapy services.
The Boca Grande Health Clinic first opened its doors on March 15, 1947, thanks to the vision of Louise Du Pont Crowninshield. With strong backing from the community, the clinic has served as the cornerstone of local healthcare for more than seven decades. Initially working out of a small room above the Railroad Depot, the clinic moved into rented space on the west side of the Fugate’s building from 1949 to 1963. The first dedicated building for the clinic opened in 1964. This facility served the community until it was replaced by the current clinic in 1990. The original building was renovated in 2008 to become the annex.
Today, the clinic’s legacy of care continues, strengthened by the ongoing commitment of the Boca Grande Health Clinic Foundation and members of the island community.
From the 1997 history of the Health Clinic
In February 1997, the Boca Beacon published Lynne Hendricks’s “History of the Boca Grande Health Clinic” to mark the 50th anniversary of the clinic’s founding. Below is an excerpt from the book, which details the events leading up to the construction and opening of the first dedicated clinic building in 1964:
“The Board began discussing plans to relocate and expand clinic operations. Among the options discussed for relocation was the theatre building, which was deemed cost prohibitive and soon discarded, and the purchase of the premises they were currently occupying. Another option raised in May of 1962 was the purchase of a piece of land on the corner of 3rd and Park Avenue on which they could possibly build a new facility. The 100 x 150 lot was available through Sunset Realty for $7,500 and although the idea seemed like pie in the sky to some people, Frank Oliver was quite confident that it could be done.
He wrote to Neil Kuhl on May 1, 1962, ‘We can’t start a campaign for funds without owning a piece of land on which to put a building. I think at $7,500 this piece of land, 100 by 150 is a pretty good buy and that even if the clinic is never built there, we can’t go far wrong in owning the land and holding it. We would always get our money back.’
He writes again, this time to Wiley Crews, on July 2, 1962, ‘It [Fugate building] may have some advantages, but I think these are outweighed by the disadvantages. It is true, I suppose, that we could add on to the present premises at the back but that wouldn’t mean the interior could be any more convenient than it is now. It horrified me to find last winter that accident cases, blood-covered, etc…. had to be taken through the waiting room where patients were waiting. Now is our chance to collect funds and get a new building that will last for years, be designed to fit our needs now and for some years to come and built on land that is now reasonably priced. This is our year of opportunity, and I think we’d be foolish to let it go by without doing anything about it.’
The purchase received the full endorsement of the board and members set about paving the way to the new and improved clinic. With the close of the sale on September 5, 1962, a building fund was established at Lee County Bank. It was the hope of Oliver that enough funds could be raised to complete the new building by April of 1963. The clinic retained the services of Theo Hargis and Velpeau Kuhl of Griffin Builders Supply for the building of the new clinic, and Board member and architect Edgar ‘Philly’ Hill drew up the plans. A fundraising goal of $60,000 was set, and by June 1963 it was reached.”
The Old Clinic
