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A new purpose for the house that Hicks built

The county chamber of commerce, displaced by City Hall construction, will move into a home built in 1900.

By BARBARA BEHRENDT
Published September 12, 2005

INVERNESS - For generations, the octagon-shaped house at the corner of Tompkins Street and Osceola Avenue provided both shelter and a focal point for the Hicks pioneer family history.

Soon the structure could be a hub of a different kind.

Several months ago, the Citrus County Chamber of Commerce purchased the historic wooden structure for its new Inverness office.

The chamber of commerce has been displaced by the construction of the Inverness City Hall. For years, the Inverness chamber was housed in a city-owned office, and the organization ran its operations paying a minimal rent. But when city leaders decided to build their new structure, they needed the land where the chamber office sat.

Chamber operations then moved into rented space in the plaza behind City Hall owned by Walt Connors.

"We looked at our options and decided it would be better to have a permanent home," said James Holder, the chamber's president.

It just so happened that the best place for that home was a home.

"Mr. Hicks approached one of our directors with the idea and we took a look," Holder said. "It definitely needs some renovation ... but we're working on that."

Lynn Hicks grew up in the house. His mother, Bessie, now 99, was the last resident there before the sale. He said he hoped that having the chamber move in would ensure that the structure and its history would continue to be a part of downtown Inverness.

The home was built in 1900 by R.O. Hicks, who was Lynn Hicks' grandfather. He had become familiar with this area of Florida after running a wagon train back and forth from his native Tennessee with salt and contraband during the Civil War.

Once R.O. Hicks settled into the area, he was involved with numerous business ventures, including running a steamboat on the Withlacoochee River, mining phosphate and establishing the orange groves that have borne the family name for a century.

Lynn Hicks, a retired instructor from Central Florida Community College, ran his family's groves for years. There are many family stories and fond memories tied up in the house, he said, and he is eager to see the structure once again put to good use.

The house sits a block off Main Street. Holder said the plan is to provide some signs on Main Street so visitors and tourists seeking information will have no trouble finding the office.

When the chamber leaders learned they would have to move from their longtime home next to City Hall, they considered renting space in the new city headquarters but were not sure what the rent would cost. That was when they settled on purchasing property in downtown Inverness.

"With the position we were in, it was kind of a no-brainer," Holder said. "The bottom line is that we said we wouldn't go into City Hall."

Still, he said, there might be room for more discussion with the city if some "sweetheart deal" comes along.

In the meanwhile, the plan is to get moved into the R.O. Hicks house as soon as possible.

Renovation has not begun because the chamber is still seeking permits and lining up subcontractors to do the work, Holder said. The hope had been to move into the new digs by November, but with the building market booming, Holder said, it could be a challenge to get the workers needed that quickly.

"I think now that maybe that's a little optimistic," he said.

--Barbara Behrendt can be reached at 564-3621 or behrendt@sptimes.com

[Last modified September 12, 2005, 03:15:25]