Possible Foreclosure on the Historic Richards Building in Fort Myers

The iconic and historic Richards Building in downtown Fort Myers is facing foreclosure. This whole story began when the building became embroiled in controversy after it was painted white over its original brick, despite a stop-work order. This past week, it was revealed that the century-old structure is in foreclosure, and the lawsuit cites several reasons. These include performing unauthorized work and neglecting property maintenance.

Whitney Richards Kearns, whose great-grandfather was RQ Richards, the original owner of this historic building over a century old, has been speaking out about the situation facing this beloved Fort Myers property, as its owner recently installed a new sign on the building that bore the same name for most of its century-long existence. In addition to this, the owner ordered the building to be painted white, ignoring a stop-work order for the project.

“This shows they never truly valued the historic nature of this building,” Kearns commented. The owner now faces a lawsuit filed on Wednesday by Ashley Barrett Bloom, the mortgage holder. The lawsuit accuses the owner of failing to provide plans, permits, and insurance documents to Bloom, as well as not complying with local laws, not repairing broken windows, not removing graffiti, and not maintaining wind insurance, among other things.

In light of this situation, Whitney Richards Kearns expressed that despite feeling satisfied, she is also concerned because she knows exactly how foreclosures work. Although she hopes that when her great-grandfather’s historic building is auctioned, it ends up in good hands so that it can remain in the future and her grandchildren can see it when they go downtown in Fort Myers.

WINK News, one of the leading news outlets in Fort Myers, spoke with Bloom, who explained their decision to sue the current owners, stating: “Our priority is the security of the building and protecting it from any possible threat.” WINK News also contacted the lawyer for the building’s current owner, but has not received a response to date.

Foreclosures available:

Fort Myers: 12 homes available.

By Elias DaSilva | September 26, 2024