Everglades City
by Patty Huff
Varick Niles (shown right at her 106 Camellia Street Art Studio) recently donated a framed collage of photos of the dedication of the Historic Boat Lift to the Everglades Society for Historic Preservation who sponsored the event on the grounds of the Rod & Gun Club on April 13, 2007.
The Boat Lift was built in 1957 by the previous owners of the Rod & Gun Club for the thriving fishing guide business. There were about 20 charter captains, some of whom lived across the river. The boat lift was transformed into a work of art thanks to the vision of Olga Hirschhorn who enjoyed fishing in the Everglades with her husband Joe.
She visited the town after the 2005 Hurricane Wilma and thought Everglades City needed a little cheering up with bright colors.
Others who contributed to this project were Barbie and Dick Kearney, Donnie Seabury, and Paul Arsenault.
They commissioned one of the best-known color field painters in America, Kenneth Noland. Some time ago he had rented a house on Riverside Drive in Everglades City for several years while he was painting and had the same concern for our town as those who sponsored this project.
ESHP and the community thanks them as well as Varick Niles who saved and framed these photos as a remembrance of our history.
Varick’s Art Studio will be open until Easter. Stop by and see her works of art!
