In 1927 advertising mogul Barron Collier’s small, company town decided it needed a commercial laundry in order to clean the linens from the nearby Rod and Gun Club and Everglades Inn. It was a functional building with a clerestory added to allow hot air to escape. Much of the wood inside the building is original Dade County Pine used to deter ravenous termites from invading the structure.
Over the years the operation was leased to several lessees some of who lived and worked in the building during their tenure. The laundry was kept busy cleaning uniforms and linens from the Inn and gun club. Children were bathed in the washing machines and slept on the large tables.
Ultimately, it took in laundry from the community and added dry cleaning as well. The laundry succeeded all the way until the early 1940’s when the US entered the second World War when staff became difficult to hire. The building was then used in the 1950’s for the Collier County Development Board until it was consolidated with other County offices in Naples after 1962.
After that the building housed a variety of small businesses until 1997 when it was restored to its current condition and turned into a local museum by the Friends of the Museum led by Pauline Reeves. The museum opened its doors in April of 1998 as part of the Collier County Museum system. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
Over the years the operation was leased to several lessees some of who lived and worked in the building during their tenure. The laundry was kept busy cleaning uniforms and linens from the Inn and gun club. Children were bathed in the washing machines and slept on the large tables.
Ultimately, it took in laundry from the community and added dry cleaning as well. The laundry succeeded all the way until the early 1940’s when the US entered the second World War when staff became difficult to hire. The building was then used in the 1950’s for the Collier County Development Board until it was consolidated with other County offices in Naples after 1962.
After that the building housed a variety of small businesses until 1997 when it was restored to its current condition and turned into a local museum by the Friends of the Museum led by Pauline Reeves. The museum opened its doors in April of 1998 as part of the Collier County Museum system. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
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