Nehrling Home & Gardens Acquired!
Dear Henry Nehrling Society members and supporters:
As you may have heard by now, on November 30th the Henry Nehrling Society finally realized its' goal of acquiring the Henry Nehrling Estate / Palm Cottage Gardens in Gotha! The Society is very excited to be part of saving one of the "Florida Trust for Historic Preservation's 11 Most Endangered Historic Sites", a critical part of our Florida and local history.
Over the last few months, the Society was able to negotiate a lower price on the property and to raise sufficient funds from individuals and private foundations to put down a substantial payment while maintaining operating funds for the first year. A private investor, Mr. Jim Gissy, has stepped up to the plate to loan the remaining funds needed to close on the property. Two of the Society's private foundation grants were to have expired at the end of December, so the loan was vital to our success.
The Henry Nehrling Society is very grateful to Jim and Brenda Gissy for making the acquisition possible and to Realtors Suzi Karr and Sandy Roman for waiving their fees. Attorney Vernon Swartsel of Carlton Fields donated his legal representation, Allen & Company Professional Surveyors and Mappers donated the recertification of the boundary survey.
Immediately after the Monday morning closing the Nehrling Society presented an original oil painting to former owner Barbara Bochiardy. The painting, "Palm Cottage, Historic Home of Dr. Henry Nehrling" by Don Thomas, was presented in recognition of the contribution made by Barbara and her late husband Howard Bochiardy, AIA, for the preservation of the site during their ownership of the property from 1981-2009.
The Society now is looking forward to kicking off a major capital campaign and conducting a basic clean-up of the house and gardens. An initial condition assessment must be made of the property followed by the development of detailed plans for its rehabilitation. Theresa Schretzmann-Myers and Angela Withers have just submitted an application for a State Division of Historic Resources grant that could pay 50 percent (up to $50,000) for this work.
Ultimately, the Nehrling Gardens will become an education center focusing on historic preservation, horticultural education and environmental conservation, but there is much work ahead. The Society encourages anyone interested in volunteering to assist us as we move forward with the next phase of action or to make a financial contribution to please get in touch with us through ourwebsite, www.nehrlinggardens.org.
We will be sending a newsletter in the near future, with more details about our plans for the future. As always, we look forward to hearing from our supporters!
Wishing you all a Happy New Year!
Angela Withers and the Board of Directors of the Henry Nehrling Society
