EDISON FORD WINTER ESTATES MASTER PLAN

Ft. Myers, Florida

 

Mr. Bill Mudgett, Parker Mudgett Smith Architects

 

This 14 acre estate once owned by Thomas and Mina Edison and Henry Ford is now a Florida Heritage Landmark owned and operated by the City of Fort Myers. Both homes underwent a $13 million restoration in 2005, and the site includes Edison’s laboratory, a museum, gift shop, and café. Edison planted more than 500 unique species as part of his continuing efforts to further his experiments and inventions.

 

A master plan was developed to protect, preserve and interpret the original historic site while

establishing an educational center to honor the innovative spirit of both Edison and Ford. The plan will guide a phased restoration of both architectural and landscape elements once enjoyed by the families. This includes The Family Garden, where vegetables, fruit and cutting flowers were grown for the family’s local use and shipped north to their residence in New Jersey. A large Research Garden supported the experimentation with plants used to make rubber and will allow visitor interpretation of Edison’s work. The existing museum will be replaced with a larger facility combining museum, library and visitor center. Other new facilities will include outdoor classrooms, The Banyan Café, Museum Store, Garden Shoppe and a Nursery Propagation Center. Parking will be accommodated on adjacent residential properties acquired by the city over many years, so that the bulk of the site can be restored to better represent the lifetime of the Edison and Ford families.

 

Historic research, conceptual site planning with architectural team, presentations

2005

Installation Value:

Landscape Elements $1.2 million

Overall Project $12.7 million