Fort Myers’ McCollum Hall to be renamed

Alexander Goshen + Cornerstone Strategic Partners LLC, developers of McCollum Hall, announced the historic building will be renamed THIRTY8 Collective. The food and market hall will accompany a residential community, THIRTY8 Flats. The new name pays homage to 1938, the year McCollum Hall was built. Community members are invited to attend an engagement event to celebrate the new name and participate in listening sessions to discuss the changes from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 12. The developer’s plans include developing a 26-unit multifamily residential building and a 14,200-square-foot food and market hall for the city of Fort Myers. 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 and B.B. King throughout the 1930s and 1940s. It was a center for commerce, music and entertainment and one of the few places Blacks and whites commingled during segregation. McCollum Hall was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places.