Dunedin’s Historical Homes

You might not be too familiar with Dunedin’s history, but there really is much to learn and appreciate in this small and charming city. Take for instance, two beautiful and historical homes located near downtown: the Kellogg Mansion, once owned by W.K. Kel-logg, the famous founder of Kellogg Cereal, and the Zimmerman-BoydHoney-Cook house, in which many prominent residents of Dunedin lived. You may have never heard of these remarkable homes, but their unique century-old histories still attract many peo-ple today. Hence, we will discuss the homes’ rich histories as well as the futures that await them. The miraculous Kellogg Mansion located at 129 Buena Vista Drive is a local favorite. With unbelievable waterfront property featuring Honeymoon and Caladesi Islands, the attractiveness of this wild home is captivating enough, let alone its one-of-a-kind history. The historic mansion, once known as Villa Marina, was first constructed in 1925 by Edward Frischkorn, the developer of Dunedin Isles. Not long afterwards, William Keith Kellogg (W.K. Kellogg) bought the home, and wintered there in 1934 and 1935. He soon gifted the mansion to his foundation, which later leased the property to the Marine Corps to use as both a partial base and barracks during World War II.

Later on, newspaper mogul Bill Matthew purchased the 7,667 sq. ft. mansion and decorated it whimsically over time. Like the unique layout, the mansion still has its own stories to tell...On June 18th of this year, a couple purchased the mansion for $4 million. While the new owners had considered making the historic mansion home for their family of six, they soon realized that it would cost about another $2 million to renovate it into a suitable home. Presum-ing it too difficult to relocate it, the family decided to go through with a demolition. While a demolition permit has been approved, the owners have delayed the process so that others may say their goodbyes and attend the mansion’s farewell event on November 6th. However, this is not the end for the colorful Kellogg estate...Thanks to the Pinellas Community Foundation, in partnership with commis-sioner Deborah Kynes and volunteers Anne Bokneberg and Cherisse Ponraj, there is a project planned to preserve the home in a 3D vir-tual exhibit.

With all the press the famed Kellogg mansion has been receiv-ing, it is important we take notice of another historical home in Dunedin: the Zimmerman-Boyd-Honey-Cook House. The well pre-served, 121-year-old home proudly stands on 149 Scotland Street, just one block away from downtown. The house, which used to be located at 362 Douglas Avenue, was originally built in 1910 as a family home for Thomas Zimmerman, the son of a Confederate vet-eran who had settled in Dunedin. In 1934, Thomas passed away, and his family sold the home to station agent Robert U. Boyd.

Robert and his wife Pearl, a columnist for the Dunedin Times, spent many decades there raising their eight children. After Mr. Boyd passed away in 1986, the family sold the home to Mr. and Mrs. Bill and Berta Honey, who ended up converting it into an antique store.

Years later, in 2006, havoc erupted over the house. A developer had purchased the property on which the historic home rested, with the intention of turning it into an old-fashioned district. That’s when mayor Bob Hackworth

pleaded with developer Sherry-Lee Cook to save it. Knowing it was the right thing to do, the businesswoman walked into the old house, sat on the squeaky steps, and decided to go through with it. After a year and a half of negotiations between the city and the developer, Sherry-Lee officially became owner of the home. In an effort to save the house, she had to orchestrate a team to lift it off of the property and transport it to her land on Scot-land Street.

After a successful move, Sherry-Lee and her restoration team spent six months renovating the house, under the supervision of Jim Bain. Having undergone many more renovations since then, the house proves to really capture attention – even from movie scouts. Just this past summer, the historic house was successfully cast to play “home set” in the upcoming Hallmark movie, A Taste of Love.

While the old house is for sale, Sherry-Lee believes it will choose the right family to take care of it, just like it had chosen her. “My wish is that it will still be standing in another 100 years,” she says. As different as these two historical homes are, it is vital that we, as a community, find some way to keep our history alive. If we can do that, then the significance of these places will always live beyond four walls. *Special thank you to real estate agent Jewel Defiores for bring-ing attention to these historical homes.* If you’re interested in learning more about these properties, check out https://www. dunedinmuseum.org/. Thank you to Sherry-Lee Cook, Susan Littlejohn and Vinni Luisi for your dedication in preserving Dunedin’s history.