7614 Hollingsworth Road
(aka McDonald Ave, aka FLW Way)

Lost Homes - 7614 McDonald Avenue [Clayton - McDonald Residence]

 

Clanton M Clayton (& wife Cora) lived on McDonald Avenue, today’s Frank Lloyd Wright Way (and the old Hollingsworth Road before that), on the lot currently occupied by the Robert’s Academy. This was in late 1920. Clanton had risen from a cashier at First National Bank in 1915 to President four years later. He then formed his own company Clayton-Melton Realty & Investment Company and in sometime 1924, they sold their new home and their citrus grove behind it that would ultimately become William McDonald’s Biltmore Park subdivision – a significant portion of the Biltmore-Cumberland Historic District. The McDonald’s moved into the house during construction of the subdivision and never left. That is until 1949, when they auctioned off the house and contents, in preparation to move to Europe. The house was purchased by Florida Southern College and became the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house.

 

William McDonald does not appear to be the namesake for McDonald Avenue as it existed prior to his moving into the house but perhaps it was, having been Hollingsworth Road previously (which is confusing as it now runs N-S but at the time ran E-W and then doglegged south at the current intersection of the now Hollingsworth Road and FLW Way). However, McDonald Place likely does. There has never been a home in our District with a street address of McDonald Place, but the short street does define the boundary between the Biltmore Park development and his own home’s property – it literally extended from Jefferson to Hollingsworth Road, between McDonald Avenue and McDonald Place.

Clanton Mallory Clayton passed away, shortly after selling the home and citrus grove, in Miami in 1924, leaving Cora a widow. He had some substantial real estate investments that became a trust through his will, to provide for Cora who then lived until 1979! Both are buried at Roselawn Cemetery about a half mile north on Ingraham. This is the namesake of Clayton Avenue extending from their former residence into the north Biltmore neighborhood. The original plat has Clayton Avenue extending into the very north of the subdivision, wrapping along the current Bartow Highway.

 

The second street name is Francis. This street is located in the north portion of Biltmore Park and runs diagonally. I believe this is named after Nick Burns’ brother who lived in Tampa and developed and sold properties. Though the 2004 historic registration for the neighborhood notes William McDonald as teaming with another real estate agent, I believe Nick Burns Development Company was either his exclusive sales agent or certainly a co-agent as he ran multiple ads for the lots on sale as well as provided a Pierce Arrow bus car to carry passengers between his Tampa and Lakeland offices. He was a founding member of the Lakeland Realtor’s Association and on the Chamber of Commerce. I find it likely that McDonald and Burns made a good team and that he suggested Francis as the street’s name. I will state that this is only a working theory of mine at this point.

 

Attached are a picture of Clanton Clayton and their family cemetery markers. CM Clayton was a mason, as noted in his grave marker. It is possible that Jefferson Avenue was named after Clayton’s father but this has not been researched.

 

When I noted in another story that the Cox House had a peer, I should clarify that the other 1916 home was that of Gus & Marie Palmer. Gus was the manager of the A H T Cigar Company. Their home at 740 Ingraham was removed and is now 1001 Monroe, leaving the Cox House the oldest home in our district.

 

The next oldest home, now lost, in our district (c1918) was not on Ingraham. It was a grand home (picture attached) located on the large lot between Frank Lloyd Wright Way and McDonald Place, at the southern boundary of our district, the home of the Clayton family. After that it was the McDonald’s home, until 1949, when they auctioned the home and furnishings. It soon became Florida Southern College’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Two decades later, it was removed for construction of the new Methodist Conference Center, which was modified in 2010 to become today’s Robert's Academy. Per Diane Baum, “The Bishop's office was in the smaller of the two buildings. It had a large two-story addition added when Roberts Academy took possession.”

 

We have lost seven historic homes on Ingraham (all prior to the Historic District being registered). We have lost another eight homes along FLW Way (formerly McDonald) to Florida Southern College’s parking lot and the new Carol Jenkins Barnett Center for Early Childhood Learning and Health. Add these all together and we have a total of sixteen homes that have been lost: nine to college expansion, four became apartment complexes in the early 70’, and two were replaced with new homes. The ages for these lost homes are summarized below:

 

S Ingraham Ave

· 1916

· 1920 (2)

· 1922 (2)

· 1924

· 1925

 

Frank Lloyd Wright Way (McDonald Ave)

· 1918

· 1925

· 1927

· 1929-1930 (2)

· 1953 (3)

· post-1960