Cal Palmer Memorial Building

John Calvin "Cal" Palmer was born on September 11, 1869 in Wauseon, Ohio. He joined his father in the family business of construction and cabinet making. In 1909, he retired and moved to Florida with his friends Howard Johnson and Howard Lyon. The three men purchased what is now modern day Windermere for $10,000. Palmer was postmaster, and a land broker, as well as a business owner with his friend Howard Johnson. They ran Windermere Improvement Company out of his cabin.

The log cabin was built in 1911 as a home for Palmer and his family. In 1992, it was dedicated as the Cal Palmer Memorial Building, a local historical building. In 1995, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. However, it hasn't been without its share of struggles throughout the years. Hurricane Charley hit Florida in 2004, resulting in devastating damages to the Cal Palmer Memorial Building. A large oak tree fell directly onto the house and caused the roof to cave in. With great care to preserve the original materials, he slowly put the building back up. The house is now beautifully restored to almost its original condition.

Throughout its lifetime, the Cal Palmer Memorial Building has served many purposes, such as a post office, community center, church, and a sales office. In the past, the building has been available for rent. Many different companies were allowed to use the building without knowing its full history. Today, it sits empty with no plans to be rented. The town has been hoping to turn into a storage area for Windermere historical artifacts or perhaps a museum. The Cal Palmer Memorial Building is very unique and Windermere takes pride in the fact that it is one of the few towns still have their perfectly preserved founder's house.

Hendrix, Danielle. Hidden Gems: Welcome to Cal Palmer's Corner of Windermere, Orange Observer. Accessed February 28th 2021. https://www.orangeobserver.com/article/hidden-gems-welcome-to-cal-palmers-corner-of-windermere

This is an article written by the Orange Observer, an Orange County new outlet. The article is very helpful in understanding the history of the Cal Palmer Memorial Building. It goes into details about the namesake, town history, and changes the building has gone through over the years.

Department of Interior National Park Service. Florida SP, Cal, Memorial Building, National Archives Catalog. Accessed February 28th 2021. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/77843459

This source is in the form of a PDF. It includes several maps, photos, and official documents regarding the Cal Palmer Memorial Building. It can be used to research more details about the Building that may not be in a historical article.

Cal Palmer Memorial Building, Florida Heritage Tourism Interactive Catalog. Accessed March 28th 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20070310134118/http://www.flheritage.com/services/sites/fht/record_t.cfm?ID=644&type=c&index=48#.

This source shows the status of the Cal Palmer Memorial Building as a historical landmark. Since the buildings uses throughout the years have kept the public from being aware of the building's history, this source lacks some background information. It is useful because it gives details about the home and its location.

National Register Information System - Cal Palmer Memorial Building, National Park Service. Accessed March 28th 2021. https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/95001364.

This source is a centralized site for documents and photos of the Cal Palmer Memorial Building. It has scanned versions of original signed documents along with other details regarding the house.

National Register of Historic Places - Florida, Orange County, National Register of Historic Places. Accessed March 28th 2021. http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/FL/Orange/state.html.

This site is a list of many historical locations in Florida. This source is useful because it includes all of Orange County and contains many different locations. This source allows for comparison among other places nearby the Cal Palmer Memorial Building. It includes important facts about the house.