FORT MYERS, FL October 2022: Alexander Goshen + Cornerstone Strategic Partners, LLC, developers of McCollum Hall, announce the historic building will be renamed THIRTY8 Collective. The food and market hall will accompany a residential community, THIRTY8 Flats. The new name is an hommage to 1938, the year McCollum Hall was built. Community members are invited on November 12, 2022, from 11 AM–6 PM to attend an engagement event to celebrate the new name and participate in listening sessions to discuss the changes.
“We want THIRTY8 Collective to be a place for everyone to feel welcome and enjoy,” comments Leonard Burke, Managing Partner, Cornerstone Strategic Partners, LLC. “Our top priority is listening to the community and preserving the site’s history.”
The event will engage the Dunbar community around the topic of the McCollum Hall project, giving residents a chance to share thoughts, ideas, and feedback. It will include a kid’s area with bounce houses, face painting, and snow cones; food trucks; local vendors; CPR and first-aid training; and more.
“The community engagement event is perfect for hearing from the surrounding area and getting thoughts on this vital project,” says Miles Alexander III, Principal and Managing Partner of Alexander Goshen. “We want THIRTY8 Collective to be something the Dunbar community and the City of Fort Myers is proud of.”
Alexander Goshen + Cornerstone Strategic Partners, LLC, plans include developing a 26-unit multi-family residential building and a 14,200 square feet food and market hall for the City of Fort Myers to enjoy. With multiple failed attempts by other developers to restore the area, Alexander Goshen + Cornerstone Strategic Partners, LLC, are confident they can bring the complex back to its former glory. Additionally, their goal is to establish THIRTY8 Collective to be an integral part of the community. Recently, the Red Cross utilized the site as ground zero to assist people affected by Hurricane Ian.
McCollum Hall was constructed in 1938 by Clifford McCollum, Sr., as a commercial center in the Dunbar area. The second story housed a dance hall whose stage hosted many famous Performers like Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, B.B. King, and others throughout the 30s and 40s. It was a center for commerce, music, and entertainment and one of the few places Blacks and whites commingled during segregation. McCollum Hall has officially been added to the National Register of Historic Places. To honor the history of McCollum Hall, Clifford McCollum will be memorialized within the space.
Community event sponsors and vendors include The RAFT, Hey Honey BBQ, Rocky’s Wings & More, KCJ Party Rentals, Melinda Favor Minded, Sarah Miller’s Sea Moss & Juices, Urban Strategies, Red Roc Cravings, and UaStar Photo Booth.
For more information and updates on the development, visit thirty8collective.com.
About Alexander Goshen
Alexander Goshen is a privately owned real estate development company founded in 2016. The firm’s activities have focused on large-scale acquisitions, developments, and redevelopments. The firm’s primary areas of focus have included mixed-use and multifamily projects. We succeeded in aligning ourselves with committed management teams and entrepreneurs to help build businesses of significant value. For more information, visit alexandergoshen.com.
About Cornerstone Strategic Partners
Whether we are building luxury, market-rate apartments or attainable housing for income-sensitive individuals, our team directs the development process with the same people-first approach that creates an unlimited demand for our product. Cornerstone has an unconventional development approach, allowing our team to uncover value that others overlook. We have the vision to see what’s coming next, plus a unique set of collaborative and creative problem-solving skills that combine to produce one-of-a-kind places to live. The key, then, to realizing this market-quality, one-of-a-kind community – is our execution. For more information, visit cstonesp.com/
For more information, interviews, or media requests, please call (813) 644-7443 or email Savannah Cruz at pr@bkncreative.com.
